Use of a secretion trap screen in pepper following Phytophthora capsici infection reveals novel functions of secreted plant proteins in modulating cell death.

In plants, the primary defense against pathogens is mostly inducible and associated with cell wall modification and defense-related gene expression, including many secreted proteins. To study the role of secreted proteins, a yeast-based signal-sequence trap screening was conducted with the RNA from Phytophthora capsici-inoculated root of Capsicum annuum 'Criollo de Morelos 334' (CM334). In total, 101 Capsicum annuum secretome (CaS) clones were isolated and identified, of which 92 were predicted to have a secretory signal sequence at their N-terminus.