AI Article Synopsis

  • Smut fungi are significant plant pathogens affecting cereal crops, using effector proteins to suppress plant immunity and enhance their virulence.
  • The effector protein Erc1 plays a critical role in the virulence of the corn smut Ustilago maydis, particularly aiding its growth in maize leaves but not in tassels.
  • Erc1 exhibits cell type-specific functions, essential for cell-to-cell extension in plant tissues, and its role is preserved in the similar barley pathogen Ustilago hordei.

Article Abstract

Smut fungi comprise one of the largest groups of fungal plant pathogens causing disease in all cereal crops. They directly penetrate host tissues and establish a biotrophic interaction. To do so, smut fungi secrete a wide range of effector proteins, which suppress plant immunity and modulate cellular functions as well as development of the host, thereby determining the pathogen's lifestyle and virulence potential. The conserved effector Erc1 (enzyme required for cell-to-cell extension) contributes to virulence of the corn smut Ustilago maydis in maize leaves but not on the tassel. Erc1 binds to host cell wall components and displays 1,3-β-glucanase activity, which is required to attenuate β-glucan-induced defense responses. Here we show that Erc1 has a cell type-specific virulence function, being necessary for fungal cell-to-cell extension in the plant bundle sheath and this function is fully conserved in the Erc1 orthologue of the barley pathogen Ustilago hordei.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9556619PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-33815-7DOI Listing

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