Abstract
The fungal species Rhizoctonia solani belongs to the Basidiomycota division and is a ubiquitous soil-borne pathogen. It is the main agent of the damping-off disease in seedlings and causes the root and crown rot disease in sugar beets. Plant pathogens deploy small secreted proteins, called effectors, to manipulate plant immunity in order to infect the host. Here, a gene (RsCRP1) encoded a putative effector cysteine-rich protein was cloned, expressed in Cercospora beticola and used for virulence assays. The RsCRP1 gene was highly induced upon the early-infection stage of sugar beet seedlings and disease was promoted. Confocal microscopy demonstrated localization to the chloroplasts and mitochondria upon transient expression of RsCRP1 in leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana. Further, this effector was unable to induce necrosis or to suppress hypersensitive response induced by the Avr4/Cf4 complex in N. benthamiana. Overall, these data indicate that RsCRP1 is a novel effector targeting distinct plant cell organelles in order to facilitate a successful infection at the early stages of the disease development.
Highlights
Pathogens can enter plant hosts using various strategies; via openings and wounds, secretion of cell wall degrading enzymes or manipulation of a wide range plant defense mechanisms
The RsCRP1 gene is highly induced upon early infection stages
The current wealth of pathogen genomes led to prediction of effector proteins which in general builds on the presence of a secretion signal, size (>400 aa) and content of cysteines [2]
Summary
Pathogens can enter plant hosts using various strategies; via openings and wounds, secretion of cell wall degrading enzymes or manipulation of a wide range plant defense mechanisms. These strategies are combined to promote efficient colonization and proliferation in the host. Effector biology is a growing field, still a majority are undiscovered and important aspects of their exact roles and functions are unknown. Layer of defense involves recognition of effectors by intracellular plant resistance (R) genes, leading to induction of effector-triggered immunity (ETI) such as the hypersensitive response, HR [5]. The latter is a challenge since R. solani is not amenable for genetic modifications as many other basidiomycetes
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