A Phytophthora effector recruits a host cytoplasmic transacetylase into nuclear speckles to enhance plant susceptibility

Elife. 2018 Oct 22:7:e40039. doi: 10.7554/eLife.40039.

Abstract

Oomycete pathogens secrete host cell-entering effector proteins to manipulate host immunity during infection. We previously showed that PsAvh52, an early-induced RxLR effector secreted from the soybean root rot pathogen, Phytophthora sojae, could suppress plant immunity. Here, we found that PsAvh52 is required for full virulence on soybean and binds to a novel soybean transacetylase, GmTAP1, in vivo and in vitro. PsAvh52 could cause GmTAP1 to relocate into the nucleus where GmTAP1 could acetylate histones H2A and H3 during early infection, thereby promoting susceptibility to P. sojae. In the absence of PsAvh52, GmTAP1 remained confined to the cytoplasm and did not modify plant susceptibility. These results demonstrate that GmTAP1 is a susceptibility factor that is hijacked by PsAvh52 in order to promote epigenetic modifications that enhance the susceptibility of soybean to P. sojae infection.

Keywords: Glycine max; Phytophthora sojae; epigenetic modifications; histone acetylation; infectious disease; microbiology; nuclear re-localization; plant biology; plant susceptibility.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acetylation
  • Active Transport, Cell Nucleus
  • Disease Susceptibility*
  • Glycine max / immunology*
  • Glycine max / microbiology*
  • Histones / metabolism
  • Host-Pathogen Interactions*
  • Phytophthora / metabolism
  • Phytophthora / pathogenicity*
  • Plant Diseases / immunology
  • Plant Diseases / microbiology*
  • Protein Processing, Post-Translational
  • Protein Transport
  • Virulence Factors / metabolism*

Substances

  • Histones
  • Virulence Factors

Grants and funding

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.