A Putative Effector LtCSEP1 from Lasiodiplodia theobromae Inhibits BAX-Triggered Cell Death and Suppresses Immunity Responses in Nicotiana benthamiana

• Published in: Plants (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 11; p. 1462
• Main Authors: Xing, Qikai, Cao, Yang, Peng, Junbo, Zhang, Wei, Wu, Jiahong, Zhou, Yueyan, Li, Xinghong, Yan, Jiye
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 30-05-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Amino acids; Apoptosis; BAX protein; Cell death; Ectopic expression; effector; Effectors; Gene expression; Genetic engineering; Grapevines; Immune system; Infections; Lasiodiplodia theobromae; Nicotiana benthamiana; Pathogenesis; Pathogens; plant immunity; Proteins; secreted proteins; susceptibility; Virulence; Yeasts; secreted proteins; effector; susceptibility; plant immunity; Lasiodiplodia theobromae
• ISSN: 2223-7747; 2223-7747
• DOI: 10.3390/plants11111462

is a causal agent of grapevine trunk disease, and it poses a significant threat to the grape industry worldwide. Fungal effectors play an essential role in the interaction between plants and pathogens. However, few studies have been conducted to understand the functions of individual effectors in
. In this study, we identified and characterized a candidate secreted effector protein, LtCSEP1, in
. Gene expression analysis suggested that transcription of
in
was induced at the early infection stages in the grapevine. Yeast secretion assay revealed that LtCSEP1 contains a functional signal peptide. Transient expression of
in
suppresses BAX-trigged cell death and significantly inhibits the flg22-induced PTI-associated gene expression. Furthermore, the ectopic expression of
in
enhanced disease susceptibility to
by downregulating the defense-related genes. These results demonstrated that LtCSEP1 is a potential effector of
, which contributes to suppressing the plant's defenses.