Molecular plant pathology最新文献

{"title":"A Hierarchical OhrR-EmrR Regulatory Circuit Fine-Tunes the Vfm Quorum- Sensing System and Virulence in Dickeya oryzae.","authors":"Wenqi Huang, Ziwei Meng, Zhongge Liu, Weihan Gu, Ming Hu, Tao Zhuo, Lianhui Zhang, Mingfa Lv","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70354","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mpp.70354","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rice foot rot, caused by Dickeya oryzae, is a destructive bacterial disease. The Vfm quorum-sensing (QS) system is a key virulence regulator of this pathogen. However, the mechanisms by which it perceives and integrates upstream environmental signals for precise transcriptional control are poorly understood. Here, we identify a cascade regulatory network involving the MarR-family transcription factors OhrR and EmrR. Deletion of ohrR in D. oryzae EC1 significantly reduced the Vfm signalling activity, diminished the production of virulence factors including phytotoxin zeamines and plant cell wall-degrading enzymes, and attenuated its pathogenicity. Molecular analyses revealed that OhrR directly bound to the key promoters in the vfm cluster (P_vfmA, P_vfmK, P_vfmE and P_vfmF) and activated their transcription. Intriguingly, OhrR also directly activated the expression of emrR, which encodes another MarR-family transcriptional regulator. In contrast to the activator role of OhrR, EmrR acted as a feedback inhibitor, directly bound to the same vfm promoter regions but repressed their transcription. OhrR-EmrR thus acts as a two-tiered 'activation-inhibition' regulatory circuit in modulation of the Vfm QS system, in which OhrR functions as a master switch for environmental signal response and initiation of the Vfm system, whereas EmrR acts as a precise brake to prevent overexpression of virulence determinants. The findings from this study unveil the fascinating interaction between OhrR-EmrR and the Vfm QS system, and depict a novel mechanism for precise virulence control in D. oryzae via complex, dynamic transcriptional reprogramming.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"27 10","pages":"e70354"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149224443","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Combinatorial cis-regulatory elements shape temporal effector expression in Ustilago maydis.","authors":"Georgios Saridis, Janina Werner, Katharina Stein, Luyao Huang, Ute Meyer, Jan Muelhoefer, Namarta C Singh, Gunther Doehlemann","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70358","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mpp.70358","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plant-pathogenic fungi secrete small proteins, termed effectors, to reprogramme host metabolism and suppress immune responses during infection. Although transcriptional waves of effector expression have been described in several pathosystems, the cis-regulatory elements underlying their temporal coordination remain largely unknown. Here, we investigate the temporal regulation of effector genes in the biotrophic smut fungus Ustilago maydis, a model organism for fungal plant pathogenesis. By integrating transcriptome reanalysis with comparative promoter motif enrichment across biotrophic fungi, we identify distinct promoter motifs associated with defined infection phases. In U. maydis, three candidate cis-regulatory elements correlate with early, proliferative and late infection stages, respectively. Positional enrichment relative to transcription start sites supports their regulatory relevance. Functional dissection of the native pep1, stp1, and cmu1 promoters revealed strongly context-dependent contributions of these elements and synthetic promoter assays showed that the early-phase motif acts as an activating and the proliferative motif as a repressive element. Together, our findings support a combinatorial cis-regulatory code in which activating and repressive promoter elements are integrated in a promoter-specific manner to shape temporal effector expression during U. maydis infection. These elements provide a framework for engineering synthetic fungal promoters with tunable transcriptional outputs.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"27 10","pages":"e70358"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13635618/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149111953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci 8018 is Virulent Against Tobacco Cultivars N509 and Burley21 Due to Spontaneous Mutation in hopAZ1.","authors":"Yuto Hiraki, Kana Kuroe, Hidenori Matsui, Motoki Shimizu, Nanami Sakata, Yoshiteru Noutoshi, Kazuhiro Toyoda, Yuki Ichinose","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70347","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mpp.70347","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The complete genome sequence of a relatively weak virulent tobacco pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci 8018 (Pta8018) was determined to elucidate key genetic elements that cause disease. Genome comparison of Pta8018 to the previously available P. syringae pv. tabaci strains revealed that Pta8018 and Pta11528 had high genome synteny, with an approximately 5 Mb chromosome inversion in Pta6605. Furthermore, Pta8018 had lost the pathogenicity island GI-1 including a tabtoxin biosynthesis gene cluster and showed weak virulence on Nicotiana tabacum 'Xanthi NC' (Xanthi). When inoculated into several tobacco cultivars, Pta8018 caused leaf angular spot not only in Xanthi but also in N. tabacum cultivars Burley21 and N509, while Pta6605 did not cause disease in Burley21 and N509 due to the presence of avirulence factor HopAZ1. We found that a mutation in hopAZ1 allows Pta8018 to avoid recognition in these cultivars. Introduction of intact hopAZ1 of Pta6605 into Pta8018 rendered it avirulent to N509 and Burley21, revealing that effector HopAZ1 is a key virulence determinant of P. syringae pv. tabaci. Our data show that although Pta8018 has reduced virulence strength by the loss of GI-1 in Xanthi, it expanded its host range to two other cultivars through mutation of hopAZ1.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"27 10","pages":"e70347"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13624061/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149081606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pseudomonas avellanae: From Specific Pathogens to a Species Complex.","authors":"Marco Scortichini, Tatjana Popović Milovanović, Renata Iličić","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70357","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mpp.70357","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Taxonomy: &lt;/strong&gt;Bacteria; Proteobacteria, gamma subdivision; Order Pseudomonadales; Family Pseudomonadaceae; Genus Pseudomonas; Pseudomonas avellanae species complex, which includes different pathogenic lineages previously classified within the P. syringae complex, namely the pathovars avellanae, theae, actinidiae, and morsprunorum race 2.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Microbiological properties: &lt;/strong&gt;As a whole, the P. avellanae species complex genome comprises 19.4% conserved genes and 80.6% flexible genome. Mobile genetic elements are present within the complex. Strains associated with bacterial canker of European hazelnut possess two plasmids, whereas multiple plasmids and megaplasmids can occur in the lineages associated with bacterial canker of kiwifruit and cherry. Fourteen type III secretion system effectors are shared by all lineages of the species, and each lineage apparently possesses specific effector proteins. Phytotoxins, such as phaseolotoxin, coronatine, and tabtoxin, can be produced by some lineages of P. avellanae. Siderophores are present in the P. avellanae species complex.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Host range: &lt;/strong&gt;Corylus avellana, Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, Actinidia chinensis var. chinensis, A. chinensis var. deliciosa, Prunus avium, P. cerasus, P. domestica. A strain of P. avellanae has also been isolated from river epilithon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Disease symptoms: &lt;/strong&gt;Pseudomonas avellanae can cause severe symptoms, including bud necrosis (kiwifruit), leaf necrosis and wilting (hazelnut, tea, kiwifruit, cherry/plum), shoot and twig blight (hazelnut, tea, kiwifruit, cherry/plum), flower necrosis (kiwifruit), fruit necrosis (cherry/plum), trunk canker (hazelnut, kiwifruit, cherry/plum), and plant death (hazelnut, tea, kiwifruit).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Epidemiology: &lt;/strong&gt;Some P. avellanae lineages are favoured by air temperatures below 0°C. Penetration mainly occurs through stomata, leaf scars, and wounds induced by frost events. P. avellanae species complex exhibits both epiphytic and endophytic phases. During summer, very high temperatures can reduce the multiplication and dispersal of the pathogen. The global circulation of latently infected propagative plant material largely favours the spread of P. avellanae lineages across different cultivation areas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Detection: &lt;/strong&gt;Pathogens belonging to this complex can be detected in both symptomatic and asymptomatic plant tissues (e.g., twigs, buds, and cankers) using various conventional techniques and molecular tools (standard-, duplex-, TaqMan-, real-time PCR, LAMP, MLSA). Depending on the targeted symptoms, pathogenicity tests may be conducted on leaf, leaf scars or woody tissues.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Disease control: &lt;/strong&gt;Disease management is based on spray treatments to the crown using copper compounds applied in spring and autumn, as well as after harvest, during leaf fall, and following hail, frost events, and pruning. Balanced plant nutrition is important to re","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"27 10","pages":"e70357"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149224428","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lysin Motif Effectors Facilitate the Endophytic Colonization of Wheat by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum via Modulating Plant Immunity.","authors":"Yamin Du, Haohao Ren, Hui Tang, Yafei Chen, Jianqi Wang, Xiaofan Liu, Jiatao Xie, Jiasen Cheng, Yanping Fu, Daohong Jiang, Bo Li, Xiao Yu","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70355","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mpp.70355","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a necrotrophic fungus that causes severe plant diseases but can also colonize wheat as a symptomless endophyte. However, the mechanism by which its effector proteins regulate this dual lifestyle remains unclear. This study aimed to identify key LysM effectors involved in S. sclerotiorum-plant interactions and elucidate their specific functions. Among seven SsLysM genes, SsLysM6 and SsLysM7 were transcriptionally upregulated during both the pathogenic infection of rapeseed and the endophytic colonization of wheat. The ΔSsLysM6 and ΔSsLysM7 mutants exhibited significantly reduced colonization abilities on both their pathogenic host (rapeseed) and their endophytic host (wheat). Transient expression of SsLysM6 and SsLysM7 in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves demonstrated that both effectors suppress chitin-induced immune responses, including reactive oxygen species (ROS) bursts, MAPK activation, and immune gene expression. Recombinant SsLysM6 and SsLysM7 proteins exhibited chitin-binding ability and efficiently suppressed chitin-triggered ROS bursts in wheat leaves. These findings provide critical insights into the molecular mechanism by which S. sclerotiorum establishes compatible interactions across genetically diverse hosts, highlight the central role of LysM effectors in fungal adaptation to distinct lifestyles, and offer new perspectives on the evolutionary continuum between pathogenic and endophytic fungi.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"27 10","pages":"e70355"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13633454/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149112030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Csi-miR3954b-CsCE70/CsPLA1 Regulatory Module Enhances Citrus Fruit Resistance to Penicillium digitatum by Promoting Phenolic Acid and Flavonoid Biosynthesis.","authors":"Jixin Tian, Xiaoquan Gao, Jialin Chen, Kuo Meng, Ou Chen, Wenjun Wang, Lanhua Yi, Kaifang Zeng","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70351","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mpp.70351","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Green mould is one of the major postharvest diseases affecting citrus. Although evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs) participate in plant defence responses, their roles and regulatory mechanisms in citrus resistance to green mould remain unclear. Small RNA sequencing identified several defence-associated miRNAs involved in citrus resistance to Penicillium digitatum. Among them, transient overexpression screening identified Csi-miR3954b as the most effective miRNA, reducing disease incidence by 24.4% compared with the control at 5 days post-inoculation (dpi). Subsequent transient overexpression and short tandem target mimic (STTM)-mediated suppression assays demonstrated that Csi-miR3954b positively regulates citrus resistance to green mould, with transient overexpression reducing disease incidence by 22.7% and STTM-mediated suppression increasing it by 9.6% at 5 dpi. Degradome sequencing, transient assays in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves and expression analysis identified CsCE70 and CsPLA1 as the direct targets of Csi-miR3954b. Transcriptome analysis showed that CsCE70 and CsPLA1 mainly regulated phenolic acid and flavonoid biosynthesis, respectively. Transient overexpression of CsCE70 and CsPLA1 increased disease incidence by 17.4% and 10.4%, respectively, compared with the control at 5 dpi, suggesting that both genes negatively regulated citrus resistance to P. digitatum. Silencing these genes enhanced its resistance, accompanied by the accumulation of phenolics and flavonoids in the peel. In general, the results showed that the Csi-miR3954b-CsCE70/CsPLA1 regulatory modules enhanced citrus resistance to P. digitatum by promoting the biosynthesis of phenolic acids and flavonoids. These results provide new insights into miRNA-mediated postharvest disease resistance and potential molecular strategies for improving citrus postharvest protection.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"27 10","pages":"e70351"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13633449/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149111921","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"PmWRKY-10 Enhances Pine Wilt Disease Resistance by Promoting Pinosylvin Monomethyl Ether Biosynthesis Through Transcriptional Activation of PmPMT2-1.","authors":"Ziyan Nie, Shan Hu, Bin Liu, Qinghua Liu, Hengfu Yin, Zhichun Zhou, Kai Gao","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70348","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mpp.70348","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pine wilt disease (PWD), caused by the pine wood nematode (PWN, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus), poses a severe threat to global pine forests. Plants can enhance their resistance to external stresses by eliciting secondary metabolites; however, the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms governing this defence response in pines remain largely unexplored. Here, we report a novel defence regulatory module in Pinus massoniana. PmWRKY-10 may participate in PWN resistance by regulating the biosynthesis of the nematicidal metabolite pinosylvin monomethyl ether (PME). We first demonstrated that PME accumulation is closely linked to resistance in P. massoniana and provided evidence that PME exhibits direct and potent nematicidal activity against PWN in vitro. By integrating multi-omics profiling with weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), we identified PmPMT2-1 as a key candidate associated with PME biosynthesis and accumulation, while recognizing that it is unlikely to function as the sole rate-limiting determinant. Functional analyses demonstrated that PmPMT2-1 overexpression promoted PME accumulation and enhanced resistance, whereas silencing the gene impaired both processes. Mechanistically, we identified PmWRKY-10 as an upstream transcriptional activator that directly binds to the W-box element in the PmPMT2-1 promoter, inducing its transcription. Our work delineates a complete PmWRKY-10→PmPMT2-1→PME transcriptional-metabolic pathway that is essential for stilbene-based resistance in pine. This discovery not only provides fundamental insights into the inducible defence mechanisms of conifers but also identifies key genetic targets for breeding resistant varieties and developing sustainable forest management strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"27 10","pages":"e70348"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13624060/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149081579","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Arsenic Resistance Protein BcArs2 Modulates Endogenous ROS Homeostasis in Infection Cushions to Enhance the Virulence of Botrytis cinerea Toward Host Plants.","authors":"Yinshan Zhang, Huiqiang Feng, Xueting Chen, Guihua Li, Mingzhe Zhang, Qing-Ming Qin","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70359","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mpp.70359","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Botrytis cinerea triggers destructive grey mould with substantial economic losses, yet the functions of numerous pathogenicity genes remain largely unclear. Here, by screening a T-DNA insertion library, we identified BcARS2, a key component of the Microprocessor complex. BcARS2 is constitutively expressed, localizes to the nucleus, and modulates gene expression. The ΔBcars2 mutants exhibited impaired vegetative growth, enhanced conidiophore sporulation, increased conidiation, reduced sclerotial size, and increased sensitivity to multiple stresses. Pathogenicity assays showed that different inoculation methods led to distinct virulence phenotypes in ΔBcars2 mutants. Microscopic observations revealed that although the ΔBcars2 mutant formed normal appressoria and successfully invaded host cells, its invasive hyphae exhibited limited expansion. Furthermore, exogenous cAMP did not restore the impaired development of infection cushions (ICs), resulting in defective infection. Multitranscriptome analyses demonstrated that BcARS2 positively regulates BcPDI1 and BcCGF1, two key genes responsible for reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis and highly expressed during the IC developmental stage. Correspondingly, deletion of BcARS2 upregulated catalase gene expression, elevated catalase activity, reduced H₂O₂ accumulation, disturbed ROS balance, and ultimately inhibited IC formation. In addition, most toxin biosynthesis-related genes, which are normally upregulated during IC development, were significantly downregulated in the ΔBcars2 mutant. Collectively, BcARS2 modulates the virulence of B. cinerea by regulating IC development, vegetative hyphal growth, and stress responses.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"27 10","pages":"e70359"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13659265/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149166565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genome-Wide Screening and Functional Verification of the Tobacco SGR Family Identify Transcription-Factor-Like NtSGRL as a Negative Regulator of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus Resistance.","authors":"Ming Gu, Kexin Cao, Jiamin Yu, Dongyang Liu, Bin Zhao, Siyu Sun, Zhenhong Zhu, Mengnan An, Zihao Xia, Zhiping Wang, Yuanhua Wu","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70356","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mpp.70356","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Viral infection often induces chlorosis, a symptom closely associated with chlorophyll (Chl) degradation. STAY-GREEN (SGR) proteins are key regulators of Chl breakdown, but their roles in plant virus resistance remain poorly understood. In this study, we identified six NtSGR family genes in Nicotiana tabacum and functionally characterized NtSGRL1 during tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) infection. TYLCV drastically upregulates NtSGRL1 (149-fold at 4 days post-inoculation [dpi] vs. control), suggesting its involvement in the tobacco-TYLCV interaction. Subcellular localization revealed that NtSGRL1 is targeted to both the nucleus and chloroplast, and yeast assays confirmed its transcriptional activation activity, indicating potential dual functions. TYLCV accumulation was reduced by 1995-fold in Ntsgrl1 mutants relative to wild-type (WT) plants at 10 dpi. Further assays with tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), potato virus Y (PVY) and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) showed that viral accumulation in Ntsgrl1 mutants was reduced by 62%-99%, suggesting that NtSGRL1 may affect resistance to additional tested viruses. Transcriptomics revealed 1470 differentially expressed genes in TYLCV-infected Ntsgrl1 plants enriched in MAPK signalling and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathways. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS)-based validation further supported the involvement of these pathways in TYLCV resistance. Overall, this study identifies NtSGRL1 as a critical regulator of antiviral resistance in tobacco and reveals its dual functional roles as both a Chl-related enzyme and a transcriptional regulator. These findings provide new insights into plant antiviral mechanisms and potential genetic resources for breeding virus-resistant crops.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"27 10","pages":"e70356"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13624059/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149081625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrated Functional Characterization of Hemileia vastatrix Effector Candidates Reveals Coordinated Immune Suppression, Sequential Deployment and Compartment-Specific Targeting.","authors":"Thiago Maia, Gustavo Marin-Ramirez, Maicon N Araujo, Larissa G Zanardo, Sérgio H Brommonschenkel","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70341","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mpp.70341","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Coffee leaf rust, caused by the obligate biotrophic fungus Hemileia vastatrix, remains the most destructive disease of coffee worldwide. Although genomic and transcriptomic studies have identified a large number of candidate effectors, experimental evidence supporting their biological roles during infection remains limited. Here, we integrated functional assays, temporal expression profiling during coffee infection and subcellular localization analyses to investigate the biological properties of 44 H. vastatrix effector candidates (HvECs). Using the Pseudomonas fluorescens EtHAn effector delivery system in Nicotiana benthamiana, 15 HvECs consistently suppressed pattern-triggered immunity (PTI), indicating that immune suppression is a widespread property among the H. vastatrix effector repertoire, as assessed in this heterologous system. Five HvECs also attenuated AvrB-triggered effector-triggered immunity (ETI), and three suppressed both PTI and ETI, suggesting that a subset of HvECs targets conserved regulatory nodes shared by these interconnected immune pathways. Temporal expression profiling revealed sequential deployment of HvECs throughout infection, with distinct subsets predominating during pre-biotrophic development, host penetration or biotrophic colonization, consistent with stage-specific functions during fungal pathogenesis. Subcellular localization analyses further showed that HvECs preferentially accumulated in the nucleus or chloroplasts, compartments known as central hubs of plant immune regulation. This study provides the most comprehensive functional characterization of H. vastatrix effector candidates to date, establishes a biologically informed framework for prioritizing candidates for future identification of avirulence determinants recognized by SH resistance genes, and advances our understanding of how the coffee rust fungus orchestrates immune suppression across time and cellular space during pathogenesis.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"27 9","pages":"e70341"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13554425/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148911791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}