Ustilago maydis effector Jsi1 interacts with Topless corepressor, hijacking plant jasmonate/ethylene signaling

Mirids secrete a TOPLESS targeting protein to enhance JA-mediated defense and gossypol accumulation for antagonizing cotton bollworms on cotton plants

Most coexisting insect species exhibit stunted growth compared to individual species on plants. This phenomenon reflects an interspecific antagonism drawing extensive attention, while the underlying mechanisms remain largely uncharacterized. Mirids (Apolygus lucorum) and cotton bollworms (Helicoverpa armigera) are two common cotton pests. We identified a secretory protein, ASP1, from the oral secretion of mirids, found in the nucleus of mirid-infested cotton leaves. ASP1 specifically targets the transcriptional co-repressor TOPLESS (TPL) and inhibits NINJA-mediated recruitment of TPL, promoting plant defense response and gossypol accumulation in cotton glands. ASP1-enhanced defense inhibits the growth of cotton bollworms on cotton plants, while having limited impact on mirids. The mesophyll-feeding characteristic allows mirids to avoid most cotton glands, invalidating cotton defense. Our investigation reveals the molecular mechanism by which mirids employ cotton defense to selectively inhibit the feeding of cotton bollworms.

Tip of the iceberg? Three novel TOPLESS-interacting effectors of the gall-inducing fungus Ustilago maydis

Ustilago maydis is a biotrophic pathogen causing smut disease in maize. It secretes a cocktail of effector proteins, which target different host proteins during its biotrophic stages in the host plant. One such class of proteins we identified previously is TOPLESS (TPL) and TOPLESS-RELATED (TPR) transcriptional corepressors. Here, we screened 297 U. maydis effector candidates for their ability to interact with maize TPL protein RAMOSA 1 ENHANCER LOCUS 2 LIKE 2 (RELK2) and their ability to induce auxin signaling and thereby identified three novel TPL-interacting protein effectors (Tip6, Tip7, and Tip8). Structural modeling and mutational analysis allowed the identification of TPL-interaction motifs of Tip6 and Tip7. In planta interaction between Tip6 and Tip7 with RELK2 occurs mainly in nuclear compartments, whereas Tip8 colocalizes with RELK2 in a compartment outside the nucleus. Overexpression of Tip8 in nonhost plants leads to cell death, indicating recognition of the effector or its activity. By performing infection assays with single and multideletion mutants of U. maydis, we demonstrate a positive role of Tip6 and Tip7 in U. maydis virulence. Transcriptional profiling of maize leaves infected with Tip effector mutants in comparison with SG200 strain suggests Tip effector activities are not merely redundant.

Wheat zinc finger protein TaZF interacts with both the powdery mildew AvrPm2 protein and the corresponding wheat Pm2a immune receptor

Plant defense responses to pathogens are induced after direct or indirect perception of effector proteins or their activity on host proteins. In fungal-plant interactions, relatively little is known about whether, in addition to avirulence effectors and immune receptors, other proteins contribute to specific recognition. The nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptor Pm2a in wheat recognizes the fungal powdery mildew effector AvrPm2. We found that the predicted wheat zinc finger TaZF interacts with both the fungal avirulence protein AvrPm2 and the wheat NLR Pm2a. We further demonstrated that the virulent AvrPm2-H2 variant does not interact with TaZF. TaZF silencing in wheat resulted in a reduction but not a loss of Pm2a-mediated powdery mildew resistance. Interaction studies showed that the leucine-rich repeat domain of Pm2a is the mediator of the interaction with TaZF. TaZF recruits both Pm2a and AvrPm2 from the cytosol to the nucleus, resulting in nuclear localization of Pm2a, TaZF, and AvrPm2 in wheat. We propose that TaZF acts as a facilitator of Pm2a-dependent AvrPm2 effector recognition. Our findings highlight the importance of identifying effector host targets for characterization of NLR-mediated effector recognition.

Topless-related 2 conferred cadmium accumulation in wheat

Wheat is a vital food crop that faces threats from various abiotic and biotic stresses. Understanding the molecular mechanism of cadmium (Cd) resistance can provide valuable insights into the tolerance of wheat. Plant proteins known as Topless/Topless-Related (TPL/TPR) play a role in growth, development, defense regulation, and stress response. In this study, we identified TaTPR2 as being induced by Cd stress treatment. Upon Cd treatment, wheat plants overexpressing TaTPR2 exhibited better growth compared to wild-type (WT) plants. Moreover, the transgenic lines showed reduced accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), along with significantly higher activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) compared to WT plants. Additionally, the transgenic lines exhibited lower levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and electrolyte leakage compared to WT plants. Further analysis revealed that TabHLH41 directly binds to the E-box motif of the TaTPR2 promoter and positively regulates its expression. Overall, the overexpression of TaTPR2 in transgenic wheat resulted in reduced accumulation of Cd and ROS. These findings highlight the significance of the TabHLH41-TaTPR2 pathway as a crucial response to Cd stress in wheat.

Plant-endophyte communication: Scaling from molecular mechanisms to ecological outcomes

Diverse communities of fungal endophytes reside in plant tissues, where they affect and are affected by plant physiology and ecology. For these intimate interactions to form and persist, endophytes and their host plants engage in intricate systems of communication. The conversation between fungal endophytes and plant hosts ultimately dictates endophyte community composition and function and has cascading effects on plant health and plant interactions. In this review, we synthesize our current knowledge on the mechanisms and strategies of communication used by endophytic fungi and their plant hosts. We discuss the molecular mechanisms of communication that lead to organ specificity of endophytic communities and distinguish endophytes, pathogens, and saprotrophs. We conclude by offering emerging perspectives on the relevance of plant-endophyte communication to microbial community ecology and plant health and function.

TOPLESS Corepressors as an Emerging Hub of Plant Pathogen Effectors

Transcriptional corepressors form an ancient and essential layer of gene expression control in eukaryotes. TOPLESS and TOPLESS-RELATED (TPL/TPR) proteins constitute a conserved family of Groucho (Gro)/thymidine uptake 1 (Tup1)-type transcriptional corepressors and control diverse growth, developmental, and stress signaling responses in plants. Because of their central and versatile regulatory roles, they act as a signaling hub to integrate various input signaling pathways in the transcriptional responses. Recently, increasing pieces of evidence indicate the roles of TPL/TPR family proteins in the modulation of plant immunity. This is supported by studies on effectors of distantly related pathogens that target TPL/TPR proteins in planta. In this short review, we will summarize the latest findings concerning pathogens targeting plant TPL/TPR proteins to manipulate plant signaling responses for the successful invasion of their hosts. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

Novel Secreted Effectors Conserved Among Smut Fungi Contribute to the Virulence of Ustilago maydis

Fungal pathogens deploy a set of molecules (proteins, specialized metabolites, and sRNAs), so-called effectors, to aid the infection process. In comparison to other plant pathogens, smut fungi have small genomes and secretomes of 20 Mb and around 500 proteins, respectively. Previous comparative genomic studies have shown that many secreted effector proteins without known domains, i.e., novel, are conserved only in the Ustilaginaceae family. By analyzing the secretomes of 11 species within Ustilaginaceae, we identified 53 core homologous groups commonly present in this lineage. By collecting existing mutants and generating additional ones, we gathered 44 Ustilago maydis strains lacking single core effectors as well as 9 strains containing multiple deletions of core effector gene families. Pathogenicity assays revealed that 20 of these 53 mutant strains were affected in virulence. Among the 33 mutants that had no obvious phenotypic changes, 13 carried additional, sequence-divergent, structurally similar paralogs. We report a virulence contribution of seven previously uncharacterized single core effectors and of one effector family. Our results help to prioritize effectors for understanding U. maydis virulence and provide genetic resources for further characterization. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

Identification and functional characterisation of a locus for target site integration in Fusarium graminearum

BACKGROUND

Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) is a destructive floral disease of different cereal crops. The Ascomycete fungus Fusarium graminearum (Fg) is one of the main causal agents of FHB in wheat and barley. The role(s) in virulence of Fg genes include genetic studies that involve the transformation of the fungus with different expression cassettes. We have observed in several studies where Fg genes functions were characterised that integration of expression cassettes occurred randomly. Random insertion of a cassette may disrupt gene expression and/or protein functions and hence the overall conclusion of the study. Target site integration (TSI) is an approach that consists of identifying a chromosomal region where the cassette can be inserted. The identification of a suitable locus for TSI in Fg would avert the potential risks of ectopic integration.

RESULTS

Here, we identified a highly conserved intergenic region on chromosome 1 suitable for TSI. We named this intergenic region TSI locus 1. We developed an efficient cloning vector system based on the Golden Gate method to clone different expression cassettes for use in combination with TSI locus 1. We present evidence that integrations in the TSI locus 1 affects neither fungal virulence nor fungal growth under different stress conditions. Integrations at the TSI locus 1 resulted in the expression of different gene fusions. In addition, the activities of Fg native promoters were not altered by integration into the TSI locus 1. We have developed a bespoke bioinformatic pipeline to analyse the existence of ectopic integrations, cassette truncations and tandem insertions of the cassette that may occurred during the transformation process. Finally, we established a protocol to study protein secretion in wheat coleoptiles using confocal microscopy and the TSI locus 1.

CONCLUSION

The TSI locus 1 can be used in Fg and potentially other cereal infecting Fusarium species for diverse studies including promoter activity analysis, protein secretion, protein localisation studies and gene complementation. The bespoke bioinformatic pipeline developed in this work together with PCR amplification of the insert could be an alternative to Southern blotting, the gold standard technique used to identify ectopic integrations, cassette truncations and tandem insertions in fungal transformation.

Effector-triggered susceptibility by the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

Rice blast, the most destructive disease of cultivated rice world-wide, is caused by the filamentous fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. To cause disease in plants, M. oryzae secretes a diverse range of effector proteins to suppress plant defense responses, modulate cellular processes, and support pathogen growth. Some effectors can be secreted by appressoria even before host penetration, while others accumulate in the apoplast, or enter living plant cells where they target specific plant subcellular compartments. During plant infection, the blast fungus induces the formation of a specialized plant structure known as the biotrophic interfacial complex (BIC), which appears to be crucial for effector delivery into plant cells. Here, we review recent advances in the cell biology of M. oryzae-host interactions and show how new breakthroughs in disease control have stemmed from an increased understanding of effector proteins of M. oryzae are deployed and delivered into plant cells to enable pathogen invasion and host susceptibility.

The fungal pathogen Ustilago maydis targets the maize corepressor RELK2 to modulate host transcription for tumorigenesis

Ustilago maydis is a biotrophic fungus that causes tumor formation on all aerial parts of maize. U. maydis secretes effector proteins during penetration and colonization to successfully overcome the plant immune response and reprogram host physiology to promote infection. In this study, we functionally characterized the U. maydis effector protein Topless (TPL) interacting protein 6 (Tip6). We found that Tip6 interacts with the N-terminus of RELK2 through its two Ethylene-responsive element binding factor-associated amphiphilic repression (EAR) motifs. We show that the EAR motifs are essential for the virulence function of Tip6 and critical for altering the nuclear distribution pattern of RELK2. We propose that Tip6 mimics the recruitment of RELK2 by plant repressor proteins, thus disrupting host transcriptional regulation. We show that a large group of AP2/ERF B1 subfamily transcription factors are misregulated in the presence of Tip6. Our study suggests a regulatory mechanism where the U. maydis effector Tip6 utilizes repressive domains to recruit the corepressor RELK2 to disrupt the transcriptional networks of the host plant.

Ustilaginoidea virens-secreted effector Uv1809 suppresses rice immunity by enhancing OsSRT2-mediated histone deacetylation

Rice false smut caused by Ustilaginoidea virens is a devastating rice (Oryza sativa) disease worldwide. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying U. virens-rice interactions are largely unknown. In this study, we identified a secreted protein, Uv1809, as a key virulence factor. Heterologous expression of Uv1809 in rice enhanced susceptibility to rice false smut and bacterial blight. Host-induced gene silencing of Uv1809 in rice enhanced resistance to U. virens, suggesting that Uv1809 inhibits rice immunity and promotes infection by U. virens. Uv1809 suppresses rice immunity by targeting and enhancing rice histone deacetylase OsSRT2-mediated histone deacetylation, thereby reducing H4K5ac and H4K8ac levels and interfering with the transcriptional activation of defence genes. CRISPR-Cas9 edited ossrt2 mutants showed no adverse effects in terms of growth and yield but displayed broad-spectrum resistance to rice pathogens, revealing a potentially valuable genetic resource for breeding disease resistance. Our study provides insight into defence mechanisms against plant pathogens that inactivate plant immunity at the epigenetic level.

Specific members of the TOPLESS family are susceptibility genes for Fusarium wilt in tomato and Arabidopsis

Vascular wilt diseases caused by Fusarium oxysporum are a major threat to many agriculturally important crops. Genetic resistance is rare and inevitably overcome by the emergence of new races. To identify potentially durable and non-race-specific genetic resistance against Fusarium wilt diseases, we set out to identify effector targets in tomato that mediate susceptibility to the fungus. For this purpose, we used the SIX8 effector protein, an important and conserved virulence factor present in many pathogenic F. oxysporum isolates. Using protein pull-downs and yeast two-hybrid assays, SIX8 was found to interact specifically with two members of the tomato TOPLESS family: TPL1 and TPL2. Loss-of-function mutations in TPL1 strongly reduced disease susceptibility to Fusarium wilt and a tpl1;tpl2 double mutant exerted an even higher level of resistance. Similarly, Arabidopsis tpl;tpr1 mutants became significantly less diseased upon F. oxysporum inoculation as compared to wildtype plants. We conclude that TPLs encode susceptibility genes whose mutation can confer resistance to F. oxysporum.

The response of rhubarb to smut infection is revealed through a comparative transcriptome and metabolome study

MAIN CONCLUSION

Integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis have unveiled the physiological and molecular responses of rhubarb to infection by smut fungi. Rhubarb is an important medicinal plant that is easily infected by smut fungi during its growth. Thus far, no research on the influence of smut fungi on the growth of rhubarb and its secondary metabolism has been conducted. In this study, petioles of Chinese rhubarb (Rheum officinale) [healthy or infected with smut fungus (Thecaphora schwarzmaniana)] were characterized. Microscopic structure, global gene expression profiling, global metabolic profiling, and key enzyme activity and metabolite levels in infected plants were analyzed. Infection by smut fungi resulted in numerous holes inside the petiole tissue and led to visible tumors on the external surface of the petiole. Through metabolic changes, T. schwarzmaniana induced the production of specific sugars, lipids, and amino acids, and inhibited the metabolism of phenolics and flavonoids in R. officinale. The concentrations of key medicinal compounds (anthraquinones) were decreased because of smut fungus infection. In terms of gene expression, the presence of T. schwarzmaniana led to upregulation of the genes associated with nutrient (sugar, amino acid, etc.) transport and metabolism. The gene expression profiling showed a stimulated cell division activity (the basis of tumor formation). Although plant antioxidative response was enhanced, the plant defense response against pathogen was suppressed by T. schwarzmaniana, as indicated by the expression profiling of genes involved in biotic and abiotic stress-related hormone signaling and the synthesis of plant disease resistance proteins. This study demonstrated physiological and molecular changes in R. officinale under T. schwarzmaniana infection, reflecting the survival tactics employed by smut fungus for parasitizing rhubarb.

Manipulation of Auxin Signaling by Smut Fungi during Plant Colonization

A common feature of many plant-colonizing organisms is the exploitation of plant signaling and developmental pathways to successfully establish and proliferate in their hosts. Auxins are central plant growth hormones, and their signaling is heavily interlinked with plant development and immunity responses. Smuts, as one of the largest groups in basidiomycetes, are biotrophic specialists that successfully manipulate their host plants and cause fascinating phenotypes in so far largely enigmatic ways. This review gives an overview of the growing understanding of how and why smut fungi target the central and conserved auxin growth signaling pathways in plants.

Plant Responses of Maize to Two formae speciales of Sporisorium reilianum Support Recent Fungal Host Jump

Host jumps are a major factor for the emergence of new fungal pathogens. In the evolution of smut fungi, a putative host jump occurred in Sporisorium reilianum that today exists in two host-adapted formae speciales, the sorghum-pathogenic S. reilianum f. sp. reilianum and maize-pathogenic S. reilianum f. sp. zeae. To understand the molecular host-specific adaptation to maize, we compared the transcriptomes of maize leaves colonized by both formae speciales. We found that both varieties induce many common defense response-associated genes, indicating that both are recognized by the plant as pathogens. S. reilianum f. sp. reilianum additionally induced genes involved in systemic acquired resistance. In contrast, only S. reilianum f. sp. zeae induced expression of chorismate mutases that function in reducing the level of precursors for generation of the defense compound salicylic acid (SA), as well as oxylipin biosynthesis enzymes necessary for generation of the SA antagonist jasmonic acid (JA). In accordance, we found reduced SA levels as well as elevated JA and JA-Ile levels in maize leaves inoculated with the maize-adapted variety. These findings support a model of the emergence of the maize-pathogenic variety from a sorghum-specific ancestor following a recent host jump.

A transcriptional activator effector of Ustilago maydis regulates hyperplasia in maize during pathogen-induced tumor formation

Ustilago maydis causes common smut in maize, which is characterized by tumor formation in aerial parts of maize. Tumors result from the de novo cell division of highly developed bundle sheath and subsequent cell enlargement. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis are still largely unknown. Here, we characterize the U. maydis effector Sts2 (Small tumor on seedlings 2), which promotes the division of hyperplasia tumor cells. Upon infection, Sts2 is translocated into the maize cell nucleus, where it acts as a transcriptional activator, and the transactivation activity is crucial for its virulence function. Sts2 interacts with ZmNECAP1, a yet undescribed plant transcriptional activator, and it activates the expression of several leaf developmental regulators to potentiate tumor formation. On the contrary, fusion of a suppressive SRDX-motif to Sts2 causes dominant negative inhibition of tumor formation, underpinning the central role of Sts2 for tumorigenesis. Our results not only disclose the virulence mechanism of a tumorigenic effector, but also reveal the essential role of leaf developmental regulators in pathogen-induced tumor formation.

Combination of in vivo proximity labeling and co-immunoprecipitation identifies the host target network of a tumor-inducing effector in the fungal maize pathogen Ustilago maydis

Plant pathogens secrete effectors, which target host proteins to facilitate infection. The Ustilago maydis effector UmSee1 is required for tumor formation in the leaf during infection of maize. UmSee1 interacts with maize SGT1 (suppressor of G2 allele of skp1) and blocks its phosphorylation in vivo. In the absence of UmSee1, U. maydis cannot trigger tumor formation in the bundle sheath. However, it remains unclear which host processes are manipulated by UmSee1 and the UmSee1-SGT1 interaction to cause the observed phenotype. Proximity-dependent protein labeling involving the turbo biotin ligase tag (TurboID) for proximal labeling of proteins is a powerful tool for identifying the protein interactome. We have generated transgenic U. maydis that secretes biotin ligase-fused See1 effector (UmSee1-TurboID-3HA) directly into maize cells. This approach, in combination with conventional co-immunoprecipitation, allowed the identification of additional UmSee1 interactors in maize cells. Collectively, our data identified three ubiquitin-proteasome pathway-related proteins (ZmSIP1, ZmSIP2, and ZmSIP3) that either interact with or are close to UmSee1 during host infection of maize with U. maydis. ZmSIP3 represents a cell cycle regulator whose degradation appears to be promoted in the presence of UmSee1. Our data provide a possible explanation of the requirement for UmSee1 in tumor formation during U. maydis-Zea mays interaction.

Foxtail mosaic virus: A tool for gene function analysis in maize and other monocots

Many plant viruses have been engineered into vectors for use in functional genomics studies, expression of heterologous proteins, and, most recently, gene editing applications. The use of viral vectors overcomes bottlenecks associated with mutagenesis and transgenesis approaches often implemented for analysis of gene function. There are several engineered viruses that are demonstrated or suggested to be useful in maize through proof-of-concept studies. However, foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV), which has a relatively broad host range, is emerging as a particularly useful virus for gene function studies in maize and other monocot crop or weed species. A few clones of FoMV have been independently engineered, and they have different features and capabilities for virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) and virus-mediated overexpression (VOX) of proteins. In addition, FoMV can be used to deliver functional guide RNAs in maize and other plants expressing the Cas9 protein, demonstrating its potential utility in virus-induced gene editing applications. There is a growing number of studies in which FoMV vectors are being applied for VIGS or VOX in maize and the vast majority of these are related to maize-microbe interactions. In this review, we highlight the biology and engineering of FoMV as well as its applications in maize-microbe interactions and more broadly in the context of the monocot functional genomics toolbox.

A non-JA producing oxophytodienoate reductase functions in salicylic acid-mediated antagonism with jasmonic acid during pathogen attack

Peroxisome-localized oxo-phytodienoic acid (OPDA) reductases (OPR) are enzymes converting 12-OPDA into jasmonic acid (JA). However, the biochemical and physiological functions of the cytoplasmic non-JA producing OPRs remain largely unknown. Here, we generated Mutator-insertional mutants of the maize OPR2 gene and tested its role in resistance to pathogens with distinct lifestyles. Functional analyses showed that the opr2 mutants were more susceptible to the (hemi)biotrophic pathogens Colletotrichum graminicola and Ustilago maydis, but were more resistant to the necrotrophic fungus Cochliobolus heterostrophus. Hormone profiling revealed that increased susceptibility to C. graminicola was associated with decreased salicylic acid (SA) but increased JA levels. Mutation of the JA-producing lipoxygenase 10 (LOX10) reversed this phenotype in the opr2 mutant background, corroborating the notion that JA promotes susceptibility to this pathogen. Exogenous SA did not rescue normal resistance levels in opr2 mutants, suggesting that this SA-inducible gene is the key downstream component of the SA-mediated defences against C. graminicola. Disease assays of the single and double opr2 and lox10 mutants and the JA-deficient opr7opr8 mutants showed that OPR2 negatively regulates JA biosynthesis, and that JA is required for resistance against C. heterostrophus. Overall, this study uncovers a novel function of a non-JA producing OPR as a major negative regulator of JA biosynthesis during pathogen infection, a function that leads to its contrasting contribution to either resistance or susceptibility depending on pathogen lifestyle.

Unraveling the role of effector proteins in Bipolaris oryzae infecting North East Indian rice cultivars through time-course transcriptomics analysis

Bipolaris oryzae, causing brown spot disease in rice, is one of the neglected diseases reducing rice productivity. Limited knowledge is available on the genetics of host-pathogen interaction. Here, we used time-course transcriptome sequencing to elucidate the differential transcriptional responses of the pathogen genes in two contradictory infection-responsive rice hosts. Evaluation of transcriptome data showed similar regulation of fungal genes within susceptible (1733) and resistant (1846) hosts at an early stage however, in the later stage, the number was significantly higher in susceptible (2877) compared to resistant (1955) hosts. GO enrichment terms for upregulated genes showed a similar pattern in both the hosts at an early stage, but in the later stage terms related to degradation of carbohydrates, carbohydrate transport, and pathogenesis are enriched extensively within the susceptible host. Likewise, similar expression responses were observed with the secretory and effector proteins. Plant pathogenic homologs genes such as those involved in appressorium and conidia formation, host cell wall degradative enzymes, etc. were reported to be highly upregulated within the susceptible host. This study predicts the successful establishment of B. oryzae BO1 in both the host surfaces at an early stage, while disease progression only occurs in the susceptible host in later stage.

Optimization of Ustilago nuda Inoculum Concentration for Screening Un8-Mediated Loose Smut Resistance in Barley Reveals a Resistance Reaction that Disrupts Seed Germination and Suggests a Role for Abscisic Acid in Disease Development

Barley loose smut has been effectively controlled for decades through resistance conferred by the Un8 gene. However, evaluation of loose smut reaction using floret inoculation at the standard inoculum concentration is associated with the production of small, discolored seeds in Un8 carriers and susceptible genotypes. Interestingly, Un8 carriers also displayed significantly poorer germination than susceptible genotypes and produce short-lived seedlings following inoculation. To understand these observations, a Un8 carrier (TR11698) and susceptible non-Un8 carrier (CDC Austenson) were assessed for seed traits, Ustilago nuda biomass in the seed, infection rate, and phytohormone profile across a range of lower inoculum concentrations. At lower inoculum concentrations, seed appearance and weight improved in both genotypes, and infection rate increased in CDC Austenson. Pathogen load in the seed was similar in both genotypes and was positively correlated with the CDC Austenson infection rate. No infection was ever observed in TR11698. Significantly, germination rate improved in CDC Austenson, whereas the very low germination rate and short-lived seedlings remained associated with TR11698. It appears that poor seed appearance in both genotypes and low germination rate in the susceptible genotype can be improved by lowering the inoculum concentration. However, the very low germination rates and seedling death associated with the Un8 carrier TR11698 are indicative of Un8-mediated resistance to loose smut. Finally, profiling of 38 phytohormones revealed that larger seeds observed at some inoculum concentrations compared with mock inoculation had higher abscisic acid concentrations. This could represent a pathogen survival strategy by ensuring better growth of the host.

Progress in pathogenesis research of Ustilago maydis, and the metabolites involved along with their biosynthesis

Ustilago maydis is a pathogenic fungus that causes corn smut. Because of its easy cultivation and genetic transformation, U. maydis has become an important model organism for plant-pathogenic basidiomycetes. U. maydis is able to infect maize by producing effectors and secreted proteins as well as surfactant-like metabolites. In addition, the production of melanin and iron carriers is also associated with its pathogenicity. Here, advances in our understanding of the pathogenicity of U. maydis, the metabolites involved in the pathogenic process, and the biosynthesis of these metabolites, are reviewed and discussed. This summary will provide new insights into the pathogenicity of U. maydis and the functions of associated metabolites, as well as new clues for deciphering the biosynthesis of metabolites.

Pathogenesis mechanisms of phytopathogen effectors

Plants commonly face the threat of invasion by a wide variety of pathogens and have developed sophisticated immune mechanisms to defend against infectious diseases. However, successful pathogens have evolved diverse mechanisms to overcome host immunity and cause diseases. Different cell structures and unique cellular organelles carried by plant cells endow plant-specific defense mechanisms, in addition to the common framework of innate immune system shared by both plants and animals. Effectors serve as crucial virulence weapons employed by phytopathogens to disarm the plant immune system and promote infection. Here we summarized the many diverse strategies by which phytopathogen effectors overcome plant defense and prospected future perspectives. This article is categorized under: Infectious Diseases > Molecular and Cellular Physiology.

Lend Me Your EARs: A Systematic Review of the Broad Functions of EAR Motif-Containing Transcriptional Repressors in Plants

The ethylene-responsive element binding factor-associated amphiphilic repression (EAR) motif, defined by the consensus sequence patterns LxLxL or DLNx(x)P, is found in a diverse range of plant species. It is the most predominant form of active transcriptional repression motif identified so far in plants. Despite its small size (5 to 6 amino acids), the EAR motif is primarily involved in the negative regulation of developmental, physiological and metabolic functions in response to abiotic and biotic stresses. Through an extensive literature review, we identified 119 genes belonging to 23 different plant species that contain an EAR motif and function as negative regulators of gene expression in various biological processes, including plant growth and morphology, metabolism and homeostasis, abiotic stress response, biotic stress response, hormonal pathways and signalling, fertility, and ripening. Positive gene regulation and transcriptional activation are studied extensively, but there remains much more to be discovered about negative gene regulation and the role it plays in plant development, health, and reproduction. This review aims to fill the knowledge gap and provide insights into the role that the EAR motif plays in negative gene regulation, and provoke further research on other protein motifs specific to repressors.

Rhizogenic Agrobacterium protein RolB interacts with the TOPLESS repressor proteins to reprogram plant immunity and development

Rhizogenic Agrobacterium strains comprise biotrophic pathogens that cause hairy root disease (HRD) on hydroponically grown Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae crops, besides being widely explored agents for the creation of hairy root cultures for the sustainable production of plant-specialized metabolites. Hairy root formation is mediated through the expression of genes encoded on the T-DNA of the root-inducing (Ri) plasmid, of which several, including root oncogenic locus B (rolB), play a major role in hairy root development. Despite decades of research, the exact molecular function of the proteins encoded by the rol genes remains enigmatic. Here, by means of TurboID-mediated proximity labeling in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) hairy roots, we identified the repressor proteins TOPLESS (TPL) and Novel Interactor of JAZ (NINJA) as direct interactors of RolB. Although these interactions allow RolB to act as a transcriptional repressor, our data hint at another in planta function of the RolB oncoprotein. Hence, by a series of plant bioassays, transcriptomic and DNA-binding site enrichment analyses, we conclude that RolB can mitigate the TPL functioning so that it leads to a specific and partial reprogramming of phytohormone signaling, immunity, growth, and developmental processes. Our data support a model in which RolB manipulates host transcription, at least in part, through interaction with TPL, to facilitate hairy root development. Thereby, we provide important mechanistic insights into this renowned oncoprotein in HRD.

Construction and analysis of gene co-expression network in the pathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis

Introduction

Biological systems respond to environmental disturbances and a wide range of compounds through complex gene interaction networks. The enormous growth of experimental information obtained using large-scale genomic techniques such as microarrays and RNA sequencing led to the construction of a wide variety of gene co-expression networks in recent years. These networks allow the discovery of clusters of co-expressed genes that potentially work in the same process linking them to biological processes often of interest to industrial, medicinal, and academic research.

Methods

In this study, we built the gene co-expression network of Ustilago maydis from the gene expression data of 168 samples belonging to 19 series, which correspond to the GPL3681 platform deposited in the NCBI using WGCNA software. This network was analyzed to identify clusters of co-expressed genes, gene hubs and Gene Ontology terms. Additionally, we identified relevant modules through a hypergeometric approach based on a predicted set of transcription factors and virulence genes.

Results and Discussion

We identified 13 modules in the gene co-expression network of U. maydis. The TFs enriched in the modules of interest belong to the superfamilies of Nucleic acid-binding proteins, Winged helix DNA-binding, and Zn2/Cys6 DNA-binding. On the other hand, the modules enriched with virulence genes were classified into diseases related to corn smut, Invasive candidiasis, among others. Finally, a large number of hypothetical, a large number of hypothetical genes were identified as highly co-expressed with virulence genes, making them possible experimental targets.

Bunyaviruses Affect Growth, Sporulation, and Elicitin Production in Phytophthora cactorum

Phytophthora cactorum is an important oomycetous plant pathogen with numerous host plant species, including garden strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) and silver birch (Betula pendula). P. cactorum also hosts mycoviruses, but their phenotypic effects on the host oomycete have not been studied earlier. In the present study, we tested polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced water stress for virus curing and created an isogenic virus-free isolate for testing viral effects in pair with the original isolate. Phytophthora cactorum bunya-like viruses 1 and 2 (PcBV1 & 2) significantly reduced hyphal growth of the P. cactorum host isolate, as well as sporangia production and size. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses revealed an increase in the production of elicitins due to bunyavirus infection. However, the presence of bunyaviruses did not seem to alter the pathogenicity of P. cactorum. Virus transmission through anastomosis was unsuccessful in vitro.

Many ways to TOPLESS - manipulation of plant auxin signalling by a cluster of fungal effectors

Plant biotrophic pathogens employ secreted molecules, called effectors, to suppress the host immune system and redirect the host's metabolism and development in their favour. Putative effectors of the gall-inducing maize pathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis were analysed for their ability to induce auxin signalling in plants. Using genetic, biochemical, cell-biological, and bioinformatic approaches we functionally elucidate a set of five, genetically linked effectors, called Topless (TPL) interacting protein (Tips) effectors that induce auxin signalling. We show that Tips induce auxin signalling by interfering with central corepressors of the TPL family. CRISPR-Cas9 mutants and deletion strain analysis indicate that the auxin signalling inducing subcluster effectors plays a redundant role in virulence. Although none of the Tips seem to have a conserved interaction motif, four of them bind solely to the N-terminal TPL domain and, for Tip1 and Tip4, we demonstrate direct competition with auxin/indole-3-acetic acid transcriptional repressors for their binding to TPL class of corepressors. Our findings reveal that TPL proteins, key regulators of growth-defence antagonism, are a major target of the U. maydis effectome.

The Phytophthora effector Avh94 manipulates host jasmonic acid signaling to promote infection

The oomycete pathogen Phytophthora sojae is a causal agent of soybean root rot. Upon colonization of soybeans, P. sojae secretes various RXLR effectors to suppress host immune responses, supporting successful infection. Previous research has demonstrated that the RXLR effector Avh94 functions as a virulence effector, but the molecular mechanism underlying its role in virulence remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that Avh94 overexpression in plants and pathogens promotes Phytophthora infection. Avh94 interacts with soybean JAZ1/2, which is a repressor of jasmonic acid (JA) signaling. Avh94 stabilizes JAZ1/2 to inhibit JA signaling and silencing of JAZ1/2 enhances soybean resistance against P. sojae. Moreover, P. sojae lines overexpressing Avh94 inhibit JA signaling. Furthermore, exogenous application of methyl jasmonate improves plant resistance to Phytophthora. Taken together, these findings suggest that P. sojae employs an RXLR effector to hijack JA signaling and thereby promote infection.

A secreted fungal effector suppresses rice immunity through host histone hypoacetylation

Histone acetylation is a critical epigenetic modification that regulates plant immunity. Fungal pathogens secrete effectors that modulate host immunity and facilitate infection, but whether fungal pathogens have evolved effectors that directly target plant histone acetylation remains unknown. Here, we identified a secreted protein, UvSec117, from the rice false smut fungus, Ustilaginoidea virens, as a key effector that can target the rice histone deacetylase OsHDA701 and negatively regulates rice broad-spectrum resistance against rice pathogens. UvSec117 disrupts host immunity by recruiting OsHDA701 to the nucleus and enhancing OsHDA701-modulated deacetylation, thereby reducing histone H3K9 acetylation levels in rice plants and interfering with defense gene activation. Host-induced gene silencing of UvSec117 promotes rice resistance to U. virens, thus providing an alternative way for developing rice false smut-resistant plants. This is the first direct evidence demonstrating that a fungal effector targets a histone deacetylase to suppress plant immunity. Our data provided insight into a counter-defense mechanism in a plant pathogen that inactivates host defense responses at the epigenetic level.

Recent advances in understanding of fungal and oomycete effectors

Fungal and oomycete pathogens secrete complex arrays of proteins and small RNAs to interface with plant-host targets and manipulate plant regulatory networks to the microbes' advantage. Research on these important virulence factors has been accelerated by improved genome sequences, refined bioinformatic prediction tools, and exploitation of efficient platforms for understanding effector gene expression and function. Recent studies have validated the expectation that oomycetes and fungi target many of the same sectors in immune signaling networks, but the specific host plant targets and modes of action are diverse. Effector research has also contributed to deeper understanding of the mechanisms of effector-triggered immunity.

MoIug4 is a novel secreted effector promoting rice blast by counteracting host OsAHL1-regulated ethylene gene transcription

Magnaporthe oryzae secretes several effectors that modulate and hijack rice processes to colonize host cells, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We report on a novel cytoplasmic effector MoIug4 that targets the rice ethylene pathway as a transcription repressor to subvert host immunity. We found that MoIug4 binds to the promoter of the host OsEIN2 gene that encodes a central signal transducer in the ethylene-signaling pathway. We also identified a MoIug4 interacting protein, OsAHL1, which acts as an AT-hook motif-containing protein binding to the A/T-rich promoter regions. Our knockout and overexpression studies showed that OsAHL1 positively regulates plant immunity in response to M. oryzae infection. OsAHL1 exhibits transcriptional regulatory activities by binding the OsEIN2 promoter region, similar to MoIug4. Intriguingly, we found that MoIug4 exhibits a higher binding affinity than OsAHL1 to the OsEIN2 promoter, suggesting differential regulatory specificities. These results revealed a counter-defense strategy by which the pathogen effector suppresses the activation of host defense genes by interfering with host transcription activator functions.

Interplay between phytohormone signalling pathways in plant defence - other than salicylic acid and jasmonic acid

Phytohormones are essential for all aspects of plant growth, development, and immunity; however, it is the interplay between phytohormones, as they dynamically change during these processes, that is key to this regulation. Hormones have traditionally been split into two groups: growth-promoting and stress-related. Here, we will discuss and show that all hormones play a role in plant defence, regardless of current designation. We highlight recent advances in our understanding of the complex phytohormone networks with less focus on archetypal immunity-related pathways and discuss protein and transcription factor signalling hubs that mediate hormone interplay.

Effector-mediated relocalization of a maize lipoxygenase protein triggers susceptibility to Ustilago maydis

As the gall-inducing smut fungus Ustilago maydis colonizes maize (Zea mays) plants, it secretes a complex effector blend that suppresses host defense responses, including production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and redirects host metabolism to facilitate colonization. We show that the U. maydis effector ROS burst interfering protein 1 (Rip1), which is involved in pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered suppression of host immunity, is functionally conserved in several other monocot-infecting smut fungi. We also have identified a conserved C-terminal motif essential for Rip1-mediated PAMP-triggered suppression of the ROS burst. The maize susceptibility factor lipoxygenase 3 (Zmlox3) bound by Rip1 was relocalized to the nucleus, leading to partial suppression of the ROS burst. Relocalization was independent of its enzymatic activity, revealing a distinct function for ZmLox3. Most importantly, whereas Zmlox3 maize mutant plants showed increased resistance to U. maydis wild-type strains, rip1 deletion strains infecting the Zmlox3 mutant overcame this effect. This could indicate that Rip1-triggered host resistance depends on ZmLox3 to be suppressed and that lox3 mutation-based resistance of maize to U. maydis requires functional Rip1. Together, our results reveal that Rip1 acts in several cellular compartments to suppress immunity and that targeting of ZmLox3 by Rip1 is responsible for the suppression of Rip1-dependent reduced susceptibility of maize to U. maydis.

Action Mechanisms of Effectors in Plant-Pathogen Interaction

Plant pathogens are one of the main factors hindering the breeding of cash crops. Pathogens, including oomycetes, fungus, and bacteria, secrete effectors as invasion weapons to successfully invade and propagate in host plants. Here, we review recent advances made in the field of plant-pathogen interaction models and the action mechanisms of phytopathogenic effectors. The review illustrates how effectors from different species use similar and distinct strategies to infect host plants. We classify the main action mechanisms of effectors in plant-pathogen interactions according to the infestation process: targeting physical barriers for disruption, creating conditions conducive to infestation, protecting or masking themselves, interfering with host cell physiological activity, and manipulating plant downstream immune responses. The investigation of the functioning of plant pathogen effectors contributes to improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms of plant-pathogen interactions. This understanding has important theoretical value and is of practical significance in plant pathology and disease resistance genetics and breeding.

TOPLESS in the regulation of plant immunity

This review presents the multiple ways how topless and topless-related proteins regulate defense activation in plants and help in optimizing the defense-growth tradeoff. Eukaryotic gene expression is tightly regulated at various levels by hormones, transcription regulators, post-translational modifications, and transcriptional coregulators. TOPLESS (TPL)/TOPLESS-related (TPR) corepressors regulate gene expression by interacting with other transcription factors. TPRs regulate auxin, gibberellins, jasmonic acid, strigolactone, and brassinosteroid signaling in plants. In general, except for GA, TPLs suppress these signaling pathways to prevent unwanted activation of hormone signaling. The association of TPL/TPRs in these hormonal signaling reflects a wide role of this class of corepressors in plants' normal and stress physiology. The involvement of TPL in immune responses was first demonstrated a decade ago as a repressor of DND1 and DND2 that are negative regulators of plant immune response. Over the last decade, several research groups have established a larger role of TPL/TPRs in plant immunity during both pattern- and effector-triggered immunity. Very recent research unraveled the significant involvement of TPRs in balancing the growth and defense trade-off. TPRs, along with proteasomal degradation complex, miRNA, and phasiRNA, suppress the activation of autoimmunity in plants under normal conditions and promote defense under pathogen attack.

Signal Transduction in Cereal Plants Struggling with Environmental Stresses: From Perception to Response

Cereal plants under abiotic or biotic stressors to survive unfavourable conditions and continue growth and development, rapidly and precisely identify external stimuli and activate complex molecular, biochemical, and physiological responses. To elicit a response to the stress factors, interactions between reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, calcium ions, mitogen-activated protein kinases, calcium-dependent protein kinases, calcineurin B-like interacting protein kinase, phytohormones and transcription factors occur. The integration of all these elements enables the change of gene expression, and the release of the antioxidant defence and protein repair systems. There are still numerous gaps in knowledge on these subjects in the literature caused by the multitude of signalling cascade components, simultaneous activation of multiple pathways and the intersection of their individual elements in response to both single and multiple stresses. Here, signal transduction pathways in cereal plants under drought, salinity, heavy metal stress, pathogen, and pest attack, as well as the crosstalk between the reactions during double stress responses are discussed. This article is a summary of the latest discoveries on signal transduction pathways and it integrates the available information to better outline the whole research problem for future research challenges as well as for the creative breeding of stress-tolerant cultivars of cereals.

TOPLESS promotes plant immunity by repressing auxin signaling and is targeted by the fungal effector Naked1

In plants, the antagonism between growth and defense is hardwired by hormonal signaling. The perception of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) from invading microorganisms inhibits auxin signaling and plant growth. Conversely, pathogens manipulate auxin signaling to promote disease, but how this hormone inhibits immunity is not fully understood. Ustilago maydis is a maize pathogen that induces auxin signaling in its host. We characterized a U. maydis effector protein, Naked1 (Nkd1), that is translocated into the host nucleus. Through its native ethylene-responsive element binding factor-associated amphiphilic repression (EAR) motif, Nkd1 binds to the transcriptional co-repressors TOPLESS/TOPLESS-related (TPL/TPRs) and prevents the recruitment of a transcriptional repressor involved in hormonal signaling, leading to the de-repression of auxin and jasmonate signaling and thereby promoting susceptibility to (hemi)biotrophic pathogens. A moderate upregulation of auxin signaling inhibits the PAMP-triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst, an early defense response. Thus, our findings establish a clear mechanism for auxin-induced pathogen susceptibility. Engineered Nkd1 variants with increased expression or increased EAR-mediated TPL/TPR binding trigger typical salicylic-acid-mediated defense reactions, leading to pathogen resistance. This implies that moderate binding of Nkd1 to TPL is a result of a balancing evolutionary selection process to enable TPL manipulation while avoiding host recognition.

Virus-Mediated Protein Overexpression (VOX) in Monocots to Identify and Functionally Characterize Fungal Effectors

One of the important armories that pathogens utilize to successfully colonize the plants is small secreted effector proteins, which could perform a variety of functions from suppression of plant innate immunity to manipulation of plant physiology in favor of the disease. Plants, on the other hand, evolved disease resistance genes that recognize some of the effectors or avirulence (Avr) proteins. Both, identification of the Avr proteins and understanding of the mechanisms of action of other effectors, are important areas of research in the molecular plant-pathogen interactions field as this knowledge is critical for the development of new effective pathogen control measures. To enable functional analysis of the effectors, it is desirable to be able to overexpress them readily in the host plants. Here we describe detailed experimental protocols for transient effector overexpression in wheat and other monocots using binary Barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV)- and Foxtail mosaic virus (FoMV)-derived vectors. This functional genomics tool, better known as VOX (Virus-mediated protein OvereXpression), is rapid and relatively simple and inexpensive.

Early infection response of fungal biotroph Ustilago maydis in maize

Common smut, caused by Ustilago maydis (DC.) Corda, is a destructive fungal disease of maize worldwide; it forms large tumors, reducing corn yield and quality. However, the molecular defense mechanism to common smut in maize remains unclear. The present study aimed to use a leading maize inbred line Ye478 to analyze the response to U. maydis inoculation. The histological and cytological analyses demonstrated that U. maydis grew gradually to the host cells 6 h post-inoculation (hpi). The samples collected at 0, 3, 6, and 12 hpi were analyzed to assess the maize transcriptomic changes in response to U. maydis. The results revealed differences in hormone signaling, glycometabolism, and photosynthesis after U. maydis infection; specific changes were detected in jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA), ethylene (ET), and abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathways, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and photosystems I and II, probably related to defense response. MapMan analysis demonstrated that the differentially expressed genes between the treatment and control groups were clustered into light reaction and photorespiration pathways. In addition, U. maydis inoculation induced chloroplast swelling and damage, suggesting a significant effect on the chloroplast activity and subsequent metabolic process, especially hexose metabolism. A further genetic study using wild-type and galactinol-sucrose galactosyltransferase (gsg) and yellow-green leaf-1 (ygl-1) mutants identified that these two U. maydis-induced genes negatively regulated defense against common smut in maize. Our measurements showed the pathogen early-invasion process, and the key pathways of both chlorophyll biosynthesis and sugar transportation were critical modified in the infected maize line, thereby throwing a light on the molecular mechanisms in the maize-U. maydis interaction.

Dissection of the Complex Transcription and Metabolism Regulation Networks Associated with Maize Resistance to Ustilago maydis

The biotrophic fungal pathogen Ustilago maydis causes common smut in maize, forming tumors on all aerial organs, especially on reproductive organs, leading to significant reduction in yield and quality defects. Resistance to U. maydis is thought to be a quantitative trait, likely controlled by many minor gene effects. However, the genes and the underlying complex mechanisms for maize resistance to U. maydis remain largely uncharacterized. Here, we conducted comparative transcriptome and metabolome study using a pair of maize lines with contrast resistance to U. maydis post-infection. WGCNA of transcriptome profiling reveals that defense response, photosynthesis, and cell cycle are critical processes in maize response to U. maydis, and metabolism regulation of glycolysis, amino acids, phenylpropanoid, and reactive oxygen species are closely correlated with defense response. Metabolomic analysis supported that phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis was induced upon U. maydis infection, and an obviously higher content of shikimic acid, a key compound in glycolysis and aromatic amino acids biosynthesis pathways, was detected in resistant samples. Thus, we propose that complex gene co-expression and metabolism networks related to amino acids and ROS metabolism might contribute to the resistance to corn smut.

Versatile effectors of phytopathogenic fungi target host immunity

Phytopathogenic fungi secrete a large arsenal of effector molecules, including proteinaceous effectors, small RNAs, phytohormones and derivatives thereof. The pathogenicity of fungal pathogens is primarily determined by these effectors that are secreted into host cells to undermine innate immunity, as well as to facilitate the acquisition of nutrients for their in planta growth and proliferation. After conventional and non-conventional secretion, fungal effectors are translocated into different subcellular compartments of the host cells to interfere with various biological processes. In extracellular spaces, apoplastic effectors cope with physical and chemical barriers to break the first line of plant defenses. Intracellular effectors target essential immune components on the plasma membrane, in the cytosol, including cytosolic organelles, and in the nucleus to suppress host immunity and reprogram host physiology, favoring pathogen colonization. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the recent advances in fungal effector biology, with a focus on the versatile virulence functions of fungal effectors in promoting pathogen infection and colonization. A perspective of future research on fungal effector biology is also discussed.

Tactics of host manipulation by intracellular effectors from plant pathogenic fungi

Fungal pathogens can secrete hundreds of effectors, some of which are known to promote host susceptibility. This biological complexity, together with the lack of genetic tools in some fungi, presents a substantial challenge to develop a broad picture of the mechanisms these pathogens use for host manipulation. Nevertheless, recent advances in understanding individual effector functions are beginning to flesh out our view of fungal pathogenesis. This review discusses some of the latest findings that illustrate how effectors from diverse species use similar strategies to modulate plant physiology to their advantage. We also summarize recent breakthroughs in the identification of effectors from challenging systems, like obligate biotrophs, and emerging concepts such as the 'iceberg model' to explain how the activation of plant immunity can be turned off by effectors with suppressive activity.

A Novel Core Effector Vp1 Promotes Fungal Colonization and Virulence of Ustilago maydis

The biotrophic fungus Ustilago maydis secretes a plethora of uncharacterized effector proteins and causes smut disease in maize. Among the effector genes that are up-regulated during the biotrophic growth in maize, we identified vp1 (virulence promoting 1), which has an expression that was up-regulated and maintained at a high level throughout the life cycle of the fungus. We characterized Vp1 by applying in silico analysis, reverse genetics, phenotypic assessment, microscopy, and protein localization and provided a fundamental understanding of the Vp1 protein in U. maydis. The reduction in fungal virulence and colonization in the vp1 mutant suggests the virulence-promoting function of Vp1. The deletion studies on the NLS (nuclear localization signal) sequence and the protein localization study revealed that the C-terminus of Vp1 is processed after secretion in plant apoplast and could localize to the plant nucleus. The Ustilago hordei ortholog UhVp1 lacks NLS localized in the plant cytoplasm, suggesting that the orthologs might have a distinct subcellular localization. Further complementation studies of the Vp1 orthologs in related smut fungi revealed that none of them could complement the virulence function of U. maydis Vp1, suggesting that UmVp1 could acquire a specialized function via sequence divergence.

mRNA Inventory of Extracellular Vesicles from Ustilago maydis

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) can transfer diverse RNA cargo for intercellular communication. EV-associated RNAs have been found in diverse fungi and were proposed to be relevant for pathogenesis in animal hosts. In plant-pathogen interactions, small RNAs are exchanged in a cross-kingdom RNAi warfare and EVs were considered to be a delivery mechanism. To extend the search for EV-associated molecules involved in plant-pathogen communication, we have characterised the repertoire of EV-associated mRNAs secreted by the maize smut pathogen, Ustilago maydis. For this initial survey, we examined EV-enriched fractions from axenic filamentous cultures that mimic infectious hyphae. EV-associated RNAs were resistant to degradation by RNases and the presence of intact mRNAs was evident. The set of mRNAs enriched inside EVs relative to the fungal cells are functionally distinct from those that are depleted from EVs. mRNAs encoding metabolic enzymes are particularly enriched. Intriguingly, mRNAs of some known effectors and other proteins linked to virulence were also found in EVs. Furthermore, several mRNAs enriched in EVs are also upregulated during infection, suggesting that EV-associated mRNAs may participate in plant-pathogen interactions.