Effector AopV Suppresses Plant Immunity and Interacts with Aromatic Dehydratase ADT6 in Watermelon.

Bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) is a disease of cucurbit plants caused by . Although has great destructive potential, the molecular mechanisms of pathogenicity of are not clear, particularly with regard to its type III secreted effectors. In this study, we characterized the type III secreted effector protein, AopV, from strain Aac5. We show that AopV significantly inhibits reactive oxygen species and the expression of PTI marker genes, and helps the growth of D36E in . In addition, we found that the aromatic dehydratase ADT6 from watermelon was a target of AopV. AopV interacts with ADT6 in vivo and in vitro. Subcellular localization indicated ADT6 and AopV were co-located at the cell membrane. Together, our results reveal that AopV suppresses plant immunity and targets ADT6 in the cell membrane. These findings provide an new characterization of the molecular interaction of effector protein AopV with host cells.