Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 28, 2025

Unravelling the Function of a Bacterial Effector from a Non-cultivable Plant Pathogen Using a Yeast Two-hybrid Screen
11:30

Unravelling the Function of a Bacterial Effector from a Non-cultivable Plant Pathogen Using a Yeast Two-hybrid Screen

Published on: January 20, 2017

11.6K

A pathogen effector FOLD diversified in symbiotic fungi

Albin Teulet1, Clément Quan1, Edouard Evangelisti1

  • 1Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1LR, UK.

The New Phytologist
|May 31, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Structural similarities between fungal pathogen and symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi effectors were identified. These findings suggest conserved roles for dual domain (FOLD) proteins in plant colonization by diverse fungi.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Plant-Pathogen Interactions
  • Symbiotic Fungi

Background:

  • Pathogenic fungi secrete effector proteins to suppress host immunity.
  • Effectors are also found in symbiotic fungi, like arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, which form nutritional symbioses with plants.
  • Sequence-based comparisons of effectors between pathogens and AM fungi are challenging due to high sequence diversity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify sequence-divergent but structurally similar effector proteins shared between symbiotic and pathogenic fungi.
  • To investigate the role of dual domain (FOLD) proteins in fungal-plant interactions.

Main Methods:

  • Compared secreted protein structure models of the AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis with known pathogen effectors.
  • Utilized structural similarity searches to identify conserved effector families.
  • Analyzed gene family expansion, diversification, and positive selection in AM fungal FOLD genes (MycFOLDs).
  • Examined MycFOLD gene expression patterns during plant colonization.

Main Results:

  • Identified MycFOLD proteins in AM fungi structurally similar to pathogen FOLD effectors.
  • MycFOLD genes are present in expanded and diversified families in AM fungi, with evidence of positive selection.
  • Structural modeling suggests MycFOLDs possess carbohydrate-binding motifs.
  • MycFOLD genes exhibit differential expression during host colonization, with MycFOLD-17 accumulating in plant arbuscules.

Conclusions:

  • MycFOLD proteins are widely distributed across unrelated plant-colonizing fungi, suggesting a conserved function.
  • Inducible expression, sequence diversification, and localization in arbuscules indicate MycFOLDs function as effectors in both symbiotic and pathogenic plant colonization.
  • FOLD proteins represent a conserved class of fungal effectors involved in plant interactions.
Keywords:
Medicago truncatulaPetunia hybridaAlphaFoldarbuscular mycorrhizal fungieffectorsin situ hybridisationstructure model predictionsymbiosis

More Related Videos

Agroinfiltration and PVX Agroinfection in Potato and Nicotiana benthamiana07:33

Agroinfiltration and PVX Agroinfection in Potato and Nicotiana benthamiana

Published on: January 3, 2014

20.5K
Bacterial Leaf Infiltration Assay for Fine Characterization of Plant Defense Responses using the Arabidopsis thaliana-Pseudomonas syringae Pathosystem11:50

Bacterial Leaf Infiltration Assay for Fine Characterization of Plant Defense Responses using the Arabidopsis thaliana-Pseudomonas syringae Pathosystem

Published on: October 1, 2015

21.9K

Related Concept Videos

Fungal Phylum Basidiomycota01:26

Fungal Phylum Basidiomycota

Basidiomycota is a diverse phylum of fungi that includes ecologically significant decomposers such as white rot fungi, symbionts like mycorrhizal fungi, plant pathogens such as rusts and smuts, and edible species like Agaricus bisporus (the common button mushroom). These fungi play crucial roles in nutrient cycling, symbiotic relationships, and even human health. Their defining feature is the basidium, a microscopic club-shaped structure responsible for producing basidiospores.Fruiting Bodies...
139
Overview of Fungi01:29

Overview of Fungi

Fungi are a diverse group of eukaryotes more closely related to animals than other eukaryotes. Fungal cell walls comprise chitin, a polysaccharide that provides structural strength, and glucans, which contribute to flexibility and integrity. Other polysaccharides, such as mannans and galactosans, may supplement or replace chitin in some fungi. These adaptations, along with their preference for acidic environments and tolerance for high osmotic pressure, enable fungi to thrive in various...
64
Fungal Phylum Microsporidia01:28

Fungal Phylum Microsporidia

Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular fungi that were initially classified as protists but were later reclassified based on phylogenetic, molecular, and structural evidence linking them to the Chytridiomycota. These unicellular, non-motile organisms are highly specialized parasites that infect a wide range of animal hosts, including humans. They have evolved extensive genomic and metabolic reductions, making them highly dependent on their hosts for survival.Morphology and Genomic...
43
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition02:11

The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition

Plants have the impressive ability to create their own food through photosynthesis. However, plants often require assistance from organisms in the soil to acquire the nutrients they need to function correctly. Both bacteria and fungi have evolved symbiotic relationships with plants that help the species to thrive in a wide variety of environments.
36.3K
Protein Complexes with Interchangeable Parts01:57

Protein Complexes with Interchangeable Parts

Groups of proteins may form a complex where each protein in this complex has a different role in the overall execution of the complex’s function. Often some of the proteins in the complex can be replaced by a closely related variant to give a complex that contains many of the same components yet is functionally distinct.
The SCF ubiquitin ligase is a protein complex of five individual proteins. This complex attaches ubiquitin to other target proteins to mark them for degradation. In order...
2.6K
Fungal Group Zygomycota01:29

Fungal Group Zygomycota

Zygomycota, previously classified as a distinct fungal group, are primarily terrestrial, saprophytic molds that play a crucial role as decomposers. Recent phylogenetic studies have revealed that these fungi are now divided into two major clades — Mucoromycota, which includes many symbiotic species, and Zoopagomycota, which primarily consists of parasitic and pathogenic fungi. These groups exhibit distinct ecological roles and reproductive strategies while sharing key structural and...
58