Identification of effector CEP112 that promotes the infection of necrotrophic Alternaria solani

作者：Chen Wang, Dai Zhang, Jianing Cheng, Dongmei Zhao, Yang Pan, Qian Li, Jiehua Zhu, Zhihui Yang, Jinhui Wang · 发表于：BMC Plant Biology · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.1186/s12870-022-03845-w · 被引用次数：16 · 研究领域：Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity、Fungal Plant Pathogen Control、Fungal and yeast genetics research

BACKGROUND: Alternaria solani is a typical necrotrophic pathogen that can cause severe early blight on Solanaceae crops and cause ring disease on plant leaves. Phytopathogens produce secretory effectors that regulate the host immune response and promote pathogenic infection. Effector proteins, as specialized secretions of host-infecting pathogens, play important roles in disrupting host defense systems. At present, the role of the effector secreted by A. solani during infection remains unclear. We report the identification and characterization of AsCEP112, an effector required for A. solani virulence. RESULT: The AsCEP112 gene was screened from the transcriptome and genome of A. solani on the basis of typical effector signatures. Fluorescence quantification and transient expression analysis showed that the expression level of AsCEP112 continued to increase during infection. The protein localized to the cell membrane of Nicotiana benthamiana and regulated senescence-related genes, resulting in the chlorosis of N. benthamiana and tomato leaves. Moreover, comparative analysis of AsCEP112 mutant obtained by homologous recombination with wild-type and revertant strains indicated that AsCEP112 gene played an active role in regulating melanin formation and penetration in the pathogen. Deletion of AsCEP112 also reduced the pathogenicity of HWC-168. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that AsCEP112 was an important effector protein that targeted host cell membranes. AsCEP112 regulate...