Myosin VIII and XI isoforms interact with the Agrobacterium VirE2 protein and facilitate its transport from the plasma membrane to the perinuclear region during plant transformation.

ABSTRACT: Agrobacterium transfers single-stranded T-DNA (T-strands) and virulence effector proteins into plant cells. VirE2, a key effector protein, enters the plant cell and is thought to bind T-strands, protecting them from nuclease degradation and guiding them to the nucleus. However, the intracellular trafficking mechanisms of VirE2 remain unclear. Using bimolecular fluorescence complementation, in vitro pull-down, yeast two-hybrid, and in vivo co-immunoprecipitation assays, we found that VirE2 binds directly to the cargo-binding domains (CBDs) of several myosin VIII family members and to myosin XI-K. We observed reduced susceptibility to Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of several Arabidopsis actin mutants and in a myosin VIII-1/2/a/b quadruple mutant. Expression of the CBDs of myosin VIII

SUBMITTER: Liu N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12903458 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature