Project description:Some pathogen-derived effectors reprogram mRNA splicing in their host plant to regulate plant immune responses. The fungus Exserohilum turcicum is the causal agent of northern corn leaf blight, a damaging maize (Zea mays) disease. However, the low efficiency of genetic transformation of E. turcicum has hampered research on its effectors and whether E. turcicum effectors interfere with RNA splicing remained unknown. Here, using an alternative splicing (AS) reporter system, we identified the secreted protein EtEC81 (Exserohilum turcicum effector 81), which modulates the AS of maize pre-mRNAs and negatively regulates the pathogenicity of E. turcicum. EtEC81 physically interacts with EtEC81-interactiNG protein 1 (ZmEIP1), which associates with maize spliceosome components, regulating AS and positively regulating the defense response against E. turcicum. EtEC81 binding further enhanced the effect of ZmEIP1 on AS. Transcriptome analysis revealed 119 common genes with altered AS in maize plants transiently overexpressing ZmEIP1 or EtEC81, suggesting that these factors cause the mis-regulation of cellular activities and thus induce immune responses. We used RT-qPCR to verify representative AS events in the plants transiently overexpressing ZmEIP1 and EtEC81. Together, our results suggest that the EtEC81 effector targets ZmEIP1 to reprogram pre-mRNA splicing in maize.
Project description:Some pathogen-derived effectors reprogram mRNA splicing in their host plant to regulate plant immune responses. The fungus Exserohilum turcicum is the causal agent of northern corn leaf blight, a damaging maize (Zea mays) disease. However, the low efficiency of genetic transformation of E. turcicum has hampered research on its effectors and whether E. turcicum effectors interfere with RNA splicing remained unknown. Here, using an alternative splicing (AS) reporter system, we identified the secreted protein EtEC81 (Exserohilum turcicum effector 81), which modulates the AS of maize pre-mRNAs and negatively regulates the pathogenicity of E. turcicum. EtEC81 physically interacts with EtEC81-interactiNG protein 1 (ZmEIP1), which associates with maize spliceosome components, regulating AS and positively regulating the defense response against E. turcicum. EtEC81 binding further enhanced the effect of ZmEIP1 on AS. Transcriptome analysis revealed 119 common events with altered AS in maize plants transiently overexpressing ZmEIP1 or EtEC81, suggesting that these factors cause the mis-regulation of cellular activities and thus induce immune responses. We used RT-qPCR to verify representative AS events in the plants transiently overexpressing ZmEIP1 and EtEC81. Together, our results suggest that the EtEC81 effector targets ZmEIP1 to reprogram pre-mRNA splicing in maize.
Project description:Through 8 generations of selection, our group has developed a strain of rainbow trout that exhibits high growth rates on an economically and environmentally sustainable all plant protein, high-soy diet. The selected strain also shows superior performance in bacterial and viral disease challenges compared to commercial trout strains, and even a strain specifically selected over many generations for viral and bacterial disease resistance. The selection criteria was strictly focused on performance on plant-based diets, and therefore the physiological mechanisms responsible for the strain’s superior disease resistance remain unresolved. To better characterize the physiological mechanism behind the superior performance of the selected strain we compared the intestinal gene expression of the select strain to that of a commercial control line of trout during an experimental bacterial infection with Flavobacterium psychrophilum (Fp) (CSF 259-93), the causative agent of bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) in salmonids. At 65 days post hatch, all female rainbow trout from the select and commercial strain were stocked separately into four 150L tanks each, at a density of 45 fish per tank. For both strains of trout, three tanks of fish were experimentally infected with Fp by intramuscular injection and one control tank was mock challenged by sham injection. Sampling was conducted at 5 days post challenge (dpc) (Early Infection) and 21 dpc (Late/Recovered Infection). Two intestinal samples from each tank were pooled and two pools from each tank were utilized for RNAseq library preparation. The select strain of trout showed significantly better survival rates (Log-Rank Test, p < 0.0001) over the 21 day infection period, with 70 and 95 % mortality among the select and commercial strain, respectively. Reads from the RNAseq samples were quantified at the transcript level prior to evaluating differential transcript usage and differential gene expression between the strains of trout, infection time points, and disease status.