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Protein phosphatase 2A: a high-value target of virulence factors

Reid Gohmann1, David Mackey2

  • 1Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Program, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.

Trends in Parasitology
|August 14, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Pathogen virulence factors disrupt host functions. This study shows plant pathogen effectors target protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), revealing a conserved infection strategy.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Plant Pathology

Background:

  • Pathogen virulence factors manipulate host physiology and immunity.
  • Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a conserved eukaryotic enzyme involved in numerous cellular processes.
  • PP2A is known to be targeted by virulence factors from various pathogens.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of effector proteins from a plant-pathogenic oomycete in host manipulation.
  • To determine if these oomycete effectors target PP2A.
  • To understand the convergent evolution of pathogen strategies.

Main Methods:

  • Bioinformatic analysis of oomycete effector protein families.
  • Biochemical assays to test PP2A binding and activity modulation.
  • Functional studies in host plants to assess virulence.

Main Results:

  • Identified a modular family of effector proteins in a plant-pathogenic oomycete.
  • Demonstrated that these effectors directly interact with and co-opt PP2A.
  • Showed that PP2A is a convergent target for diverse pathogen virulence factors.

Conclusions:

  • Oomycete effector proteins utilize PP2A as a host target to promote infection.
  • The targeting of PP2A represents a conserved mechanism across different pathogen types.
  • This finding deepens our understanding of host-pathogen interactions and virulence evolution.
Keywords:
PP2Aeffectorpathogenvirulence factor

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