A Sec-Dependent Effector from "<i>Candidatus</i> Phytoplasma ziziphi" Suppresses Plant Immunity and Contributes to Pathogenicity.

ABSTRACT: Jujube witches' broom (JWB) disease, caused by Candidatus Phytoplasma ziziphi (Ca. P. ziziphi), severely threatens the production of Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.). Emerging evidence highlights the critical role of phytoplasma-secreted effectors in pathogenesis, though few have been functionally characterized. Here, we identified a Sec-dependent effector, JWB790, from Ca. P. ziziphi, which was shown to suppress plant immunity. Through transient expression assays in Nicotiana benthamiana, pathogen inoculation assays, the generation of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants, and RNA-seq-based transcriptomic profiling, we systematically investigated the virulence function of JWB790. Our findings revealed that JWB790 is highly expressed in JWB-

SUBMITTER: Wan CP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12108763 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature