A Small Cysteine-Rich Protein from the Asian Soybean Rust Fungus, Phakopsora pachyrhizi, Suppresses Plant Immunity

The Asian soybean rust fungus, Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is an obligate biotrophic pathogen causing severe soybean disease epidemics. Molecular mechanisms by which P. pachyrhizi and other rust fungi interact with their host plants are poorly understood. The genomes of all rust fungi encode many small,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLoS pathogens 2016-09, Vol.12 (9), p.e1005827-e1005827
Main Authors: Qi, Mingsheng, Link, Tobias I, Müller, Manuel, Hirschburger, Daniela, Pudake, Ramesh N, Pedley, Kerry F, Braun, Edward, Voegele, Ralf T, Baum, Thomas J, Whitham, Steven A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Biology and Life Sciences
Colleges & universities
Cysteine
Fungi
Genetic aspects
Immunity (Physiology)
Infections
Medicine and Health Sciences
Phakopsora pachyrhizi
Physiological aspects
Phytopathogenic fungi
Plant diseases
Plant pathology
Protein expression
Proteins
Research and Analysis Methods
Rodents
Soybeans
Transcription factors
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Summary:The Asian soybean rust fungus, Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is an obligate biotrophic pathogen causing severe soybean disease epidemics. Molecular mechanisms by which P. pachyrhizi and other rust fungi interact with their host plants are poorly understood. The genomes of all rust fungi encode many small, secreted cysteine-rich proteins (SSCRP). While these proteins are thought to function within the host, their roles are completely unknown. Here, we present the characterization of P. pachyrhizi effector candidate 23 (PpEC23), a SSCRP that we show to suppress plant immunity. Furthermore, we show that PpEC23 interacts with soybean transcription factor GmSPL12l and that soybean plants in which GmSPL12l is silenced have constitutively active immunity, thereby identifying GmSPL12l as a negative regulator of soybean defenses. Collectively, our data present evidence for a virulence function of a rust SSCRP and suggest that PpEC23 is able to suppress soybean immune responses and physically interact with soybean transcription factor GmSPL12l, a negative immune regulator.
ISSN:1553-7374
1553-7366
1553-7374
DOI:10.1371/journal.ppat.1005827