Versatile effectors of phytopathogenic fungi target host immunity

• Published in: Journal of integrative plant biology Vol. 63; no. 11; pp. 1856 - 1873
• Main Authors: Tariqjaveed, Muhammad, Mateen, Abdul, Wang, Shanzhi, Qiu, Shanshan, Zheng, Xinhang, Zhang, Jie, Bhadauria, Vijai, Sun, Wenxian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: China (Republic : 1949- ) Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-11-2021; The Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management,and Joint Laboratory for International Cooperation in Crop Molecular Breeding,Ministry of Education,China Agricultural University,Beijing 100193,China%Institute of Microbiology,The Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100101,China%Department of Plant Pathology,College of Plant Protection,China Agricultural University,Beijing 100193,China%Department of Plant Pathology,College of Plant Protection,China Agricultural University,Beijing 100193,China; The Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management,and Joint Laboratory for International Cooperation in Crop Molecular Breeding,Ministry of Education,China Agricultural University,Beijing 100193,China; Department of Plant Pathology,College of Plant Protection,Jilin Agricultural University,Changchun 130118,China; Department of Plant Pathology,College of Plant Protection,China Agricultural University,Beijing 100193,China
• Subjects: apoplastic effectors; Biological activity; Biological effects; Biology; Colonization; Cytosol; Effectors; fungal effectors; Fungi; Fungi - metabolism; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Immunity; Innate immunity; intracellular effectors; Nutrients; Organelles; Pathogenicity; Pathogens; Phytopathogenic fungi; Plant Diseases; Plant Immunity; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Virulence; apoplastic effectors; intracellular effectors; fungal effectors; plant immunity
• ISSN: 1672-9072; 1744-7909
• DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13162

Phytopathogenic fungi secrete a large arsenal of effector molecules, including proteinaceous effectors, small RNAs, phytohormones and derivatives thereof. The pathogenicity of fungal pathogens is primarily determined by these effectors that are secreted into host cells to undermine innate immunity, as well as to facilitate the acquisition of nutrients for their in planta growth and proliferation. After conventional and non‐conventional secretion, fungal effectors are translocated into different subcellular compartments of the host cells to interfere with various biological processes. In extracellular spaces, apoplastic effectors cope with physical and chemical barriers to break the first line of plant defenses. Intracellular effectors target essential immune components on the plasma membrane, in the cytosol, including cytosolic organelles, and in the nucleus to suppress host immunity and reprogram host physiology, favoring pathogen colonization. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the recent advances in fungal effector biology, with a focus on the versatile virulence functions of fungal effectors in promoting pathogen infection and colonization. A perspective of future research on fungal effector biology is also discussed.
Phytopathogenic fungi secrete apoplastic and cytoplasmic effectors to interfere with various biological processes and reprogram host immunity. This comprehensively summarizes the recent advances on how these versatile fungal effectors target various plant immune components in different subcellular compartments to promote pathogen infection and colonization.