Secreted Protein VdCUE Modulates Virulence of <i>Verticillium dahliae</i> Without Interfering with BAX-Induced Cell Death.

ABSTRACT: Verticillium wilt, caused by Verticillium dahliae, severely threatens various crops and trees worldwide. This study aimed to characterize the function of a CUE (coupling of ubiquitin conjugation to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) degradation)-domain-containing protein, VdCUE, in V. dahliae, which exhibits sequence divergence between the defoliating strain XJ592 and the non-defoliating strain XJ511. We generated ∆VdCUE-knockout mutants and evaluated their phenotypes in growth and virulence. Functional analyses included verifying the signal peptide activity of VdCUE, testing its ability to induce cell death or inhibit BAX-induced cell death in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves, and identifying host targets via yeast two-hybrid screening. The ∆VdCUE mutants sho

SUBMITTER: Yu H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12470305 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature