A novel key virulence factor, FoSSP71, inhibits plant immunity and promotes pathogenesis in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense

作者：Shuang Liu, Junyu Wu, Yinhui Sun, Yun Xu, Siyu Zhou, Peiping Luo, Zhibiao Wang, Daipeng Chen, Xiaofei Liang, Zhensheng Kang, Li Zheng · 发表于：Microbiology Spectrum · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1128/spectrum.02940-24 · 被引用次数：8 · 研究领域：Banana Cultivation and Research、Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity、Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases

ABSTRACT Fusarium wilt of banana ( Musa spp.), caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense ( Foc ), poses a significant threat to the global banana industry. Particularly, tropical race 4 of Foc exhibits high pathogenicity toward the major commercial banana cultivar Cavendish, and there are no effective control measures available. Here, we characterize a novel effector protein, FoSSP71, from Foc , which was significantly induced during the early stages of the Foc 4 banana interaction and could suppress BAX-triggered programmed cell death in Nicotiana benthamiana . Transient expression of FoSSP71 in N. benthamiana leaves could weaken the upregulation expression of genes involved in the SA signaling pathway induced by flg22 and significantly reduce both reactive oxygen species bursts and callose accumulation. To verify the function of FoSSP71, a FoSSP71 deletion mutant was created. The FoSSP71 deletion mutant displayed a reduced growth rate in F. oxysporum and a marked reduction in virulence toward bananas compared to the wild type (WT). Furthermore, the expression levels of PR3 and PR10 were significantly downregulated in bananas infected with the ΔFoSSP71 strain compared to bananas infected with the WT strain. These findings indicate that FoSSP71 is essential for Foc 4 pathogenicity and plays a key virulence role during Fusarium invasion. Therefore, FoSSP71 presents a potential target for future Fusarium wilt control, offering a scientific foundation for breeding disease-resi...