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Identification of Host Pathways Targeted by Bacterial Effector Proteins using Yeast Toxicity and Suppressor Screens
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Fungal effector Ecp6 outcompetes host immune receptor for chitin binding through intrachain LysM dimerization

Andrea Sánchez-Vallet1, Raspudin Saleem-Batcha, Anja Kombrink

  • 1Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas , Universidad Politécnica de Madrid , Madrid , Spain ; Laboratory of Phytopathology , Wageningen University , Wageningen , Netherlands.

Elife
|July 11, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Fungal LysM effectors, like Ecp6, bind chitin with ultra-high affinity using a unique dimerization mechanism. This prevents host immune detection, revealing a novel fungal immune evasion strategy.

Area of Science:

  • Plant-pathogen interactions
  • Molecular mechanisms of immunity
  • Fungal biology

Background:

  • Pathogens secrete effectors to evade host immunity.
  • Fungal LysM effectors bind chitin, a component of fungal cell walls.
  • The precise mechanism of LysM effector chitin binding and immune interference was unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the structural mechanism of chitin binding by the fungal LysM effector Ecp6.
  • To understand how Ecp6 competes with host immune receptors for chitin recognition.
  • To investigate the role of individual LysM domains in Ecp6 function.

Main Methods:

  • X-ray crystallography to determine the structure of Ecp6.
  • Biochemical assays to measure chitin-binding affinity.
  • Functional studies to assess Ecp6's impact on chitin-triggered immunity.

Main Results:

  • Ecp6 utilizes intrachain LysM dimerization to form a composite, deeply buried chitin-binding groove with ultra-high (pM) affinity.
  • Two LysM domains are involved in this high-affinity binding.
  • A separate LysM domain binds chitin with lower affinity (µM) but still perturbs host immunity, likely via non-sequestration mechanisms.

Conclusions:

  • Fungal LysM effectors have evolved sophisticated mechanisms for high-affinity chitin binding to evade host immunity.
  • Ecp6's composite binding site represents a novel mode of effector-mediated immune suppression.
  • The dual-affinity binding of Ecp6 suggests complex strategies for fungal pathogenesis and host immune interference.
Keywords:
CladosporiumOthereffectorimmunityreceptortomato

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