Overexpression of a novel biotrophy-specific Colletotrichum truncatum effector, CtNUDIX, in hemibiotrophic fungal phytopathogens causes incompatibility with their host plants.

ABSTRACT: The hemibiotrophic fungus Colletotrichum truncatum causes anthracnose disease on lentils and a few other grain legumes. It shows initial symptomless intracellular growth, where colonized host cells remain viable (biotrophy), and then switches to necrotrophic growth, killing the colonized host plant tissues. Here, we report a novel effector gene, CtNUDIX, from C. truncatum that is exclusively expressed during the late biotrophic phase (before the switch to necrotrophy) and elicits a hypersensitive response (HR)-like cell death in tobacco leaves transiently expressing the effector. CtNUDIX homologs, which contain a signal peptide and a Nudix hydrolase domain, may be unique to hemibiotrophic fungal and fungus-like plant pathogens. CtNUDIX lacking a signal peptide or a Nudix motif failed to in

SUBMITTER: Bhadauria V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3535838 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature