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Published on: May 24, 2018
Phytopathogen type III effector weaponry and their plant targets.
Anna Block1, Guangyong Li, Zheng Qing Fu
1Center for Plant Science Innovation and Department of Plant Pathology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0660, USA.
Current Opinion in Plant Biology
|July 29, 2008
Summary
Phytopathogenic bacteria use type III effectors to suppress plant immunity, employing diverse strategies like altering protein turnover, RNA metabolism, and kinase signaling. Circumventing plant defenses is key to bacterial pathogenicity.
Area of Science:
- Plant pathology
- Microbiology
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Phytopathogenic bacteria inject type III effectors into plant cells to suppress host innate immunity.
- These effectors are delivered via a type III protein secretion system.
- Suppression of plant immunity is essential for bacterial pathogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the strategies employed by type III effectors to suppress plant innate immunity.
- To understand how bacterial pathogens overcome host defense mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of type III effector functions in altering host responses.
- Investigating effector-mediated manipulation of protein turnover, RNA metabolism, and kinase signaling pathways.
Main Results:
- Type III effectors utilize at least three distinct strategies to subvert plant immunity.
- Strategies include modulating protein turnover (cleavage, ubiquitination, proteasome targeting).
- Effectors also alter RNA metabolism (transcriptional activation, ADP-ribosylation) and inhibit plant defense kinases.
Conclusions:
- Bacterial pathogens employ a wide array of sophisticated strategies to suppress plant innate immunity.
- Circumvention of host defenses is a critical factor for the pathogenicity of phytopathogenic bacteria.
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