Dataset Information

Phytophthora infestans RXLR effector Pi04089 perturbs diverse defense-related genes to suppress host immunity.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The oomycete pathogen secretes many effectors into host cells to manipulate host defenses. For the majority of effectors, the mechanisms related to how they alter the expression of host genes and reprogram defenses are not well understood. In order to investigate the molecular mechanisms governing the influence that the Phytophthora infestans RXLR effector Pi04089 has on host immunity, a comparative transcriptome analysis was conducted on Pi04089 stable transgenic and wild-type potato plants.

Results

Potato plants stably expressing Pi04089 were more susceptible to P. infestans. RNA-seq analysis revealed that 658 upregulated genes and 722 downregulated genes were characterized in Pi04089 transgenic lines. A large number of genes involved in the biological process, including many defense-related genes and certain genes that respond to salicylic acid, were suppressed. Moreover, the comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that Pi04089 significantly inhibited the expression of many flg22 (a microbe-associated molecular pattern, PAMP)-inducible genes, including various Avr9/Cf-9 rapidly elicited (ACRE) genes. Four selected differentially expressed genes (StWAT1, StCEVI57, StKTI1, and StP450) were confirmed to be involved in host resistance against P. infestans when they were transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana.

Conclusion

The P. infestans effector Pi04089 was shown to suppress the expression of many resistance-related genes in potato plants. Moreover, Pi04089 was found to significantly suppress flg22-triggered defense signaling in potato plants. This research provides new insights into how an oomycete effector perturbs host immune responses at the transcriptome level.

SUBMITTER: Luo M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8656059 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Late blight has been the most devastating potato disease worldwide. The causal agent, Phytophthora infestans, is notorious for its capability to rapidly overcome host resistance. Changes in the expression pattern and the encoded protein sequences of effector genes in the pathogen are responsible for the loss of host resistance. Among numerous effector genes, the class of RXLR effector genes is well-known in mediating host genotype-specific resistance. We therefore performed deep sequencing of five genetically diverse P. infestans strains using in planta materials infected with zoospores (12 h post inoculation) and focused on the identification of RXLR effector genes that are conserved in coding sequences, are highly expressed in early stages of plant infection, and have defense suppression activities. In all, 245 RXLR effector genes were expressed in five transcriptomes, with 108 being co-expressed in all five strains, 47 of them comparatively highly expressed. Taking sequence polymorphism into consideration, 18 candidate core RXLR effectors that were conserved in sequence and with higher in planta expression levels were selected for further study. Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transient expression of the selected effector genes in Nicotiana benthamiana and potato demonstrated their potential virulence function, as shown by suppression of PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) or/and effector-triggered immunity (ETI). The identified collection of core RXLR effectors will be useful in the search for potential durable late blight resistance genes. Analysis of 10 known Avr RXLR genes revealed that the resistance genes R2, Rpi-blb2, Rpi-vnt1, Rpi-Smira1, and Rpi-Smira2 may be effective in potato cultivars. Analysis of 8 SFI (Suppressor of early Flg22-induced Immune response) RXLR effector genes showed that SFI2, SFI3, and SFI4 were highly expressed in all examined strains, suggesting their potentially important function in early stages of pathogen infection.

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