An effector essential for virulence of necrotrophic fungi targets plant HIRs to inhibit host immunity.

ABSTRACT: Phytopathogens often secrete effectors to enhance their infection of plants. In the case of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a necrotrophic phytopathogen, a secreted protein named SsPEIE1 (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Plant Early Immunosuppressive Effector 1) plays a crucial role in its virulence. During the early stages of infection, SsPEIE1 is significantly up-regulated. Additionally, transgenic plants expressing SsPEIE1 exhibit increased susceptibility to different phytopathogens. Further investigations revealed that SsPEIE1 interacts with a plasma membrane protein known as hypersensitive induced reaction (HIR) that dampens immune responses. SsPEIE1 is required for S. sclerotiorum virulence on wild-type Arabidopsis but not on Arabidopsis hir4 mutants. Moreover, Arabidopsis hir2 and hir4 mutants ex

SUBMITTER: Liu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11525884 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature