{"title":"The Nucleoporin CPR5 Modulates Plant Immunity via Guanylate-Binding Proteins.","authors":"Leiwen Pan, Shun Peng, Yuehui Zhang, Fenghui Xu, Xinyi Cai, Shen Liang, Qi Huang, Shilong Yu, Shui Wang","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70086","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mpp.70086","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The nuclear pore complex plays a key role in nuclear transport of immune signals. Two nucleoporins, CONSTITUTIVE EXPRESSION OF PR GENES 5 (CPR5) and GUANYLATE-BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE 3 (GBPL3), have been implicated in plant immunity. The Arabidopsis GBPL family comprises three members. While GBPL1 and GBPL3 were discovered to form an immune circuit, the role of GBPL2 remains unknown. Through genetic screening, we identified a gain-of-function mutation in GBPL2, named suppressor of cpr5 23 (scpr23), that fully suppresses the cpr5 mutant phenotype. The scpr23 function is attributed to a core amino acid residue within a nuclear export signal (NES) motif; its alteration causes a change of GBPL2 localisation from the endoplasmic reticulum to the nuclear envelope. Epistatic analysis demonstrated that knockdown of GBPL3 expression in the cpr5 scpr23 double mutant reverted its phenotype to that of the cpr5 mutant, indicating that the function conferred by scpr23 is mediated by GBPL3. We further found that GBPL2 is a counterpart of mammalian ATLASTIN-1, which belongs to a subfamily of the GBP proteins featuring transmembrane domains. Therefore, our findings reveal that the GBPL family proteins form a signalling complex that functions downstream of CPR5 to modulate plant immunity.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"26 4","pages":"e70086"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12034427/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143972262","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":"Hop Stunt Viroid Expression and Host Responses in Arabidopsis thaliana.","authors":"Xiaxia Tian, Binhui Zhan, Lingzhu He, Changyong Zhou, Yunlong Ma, Shifang Li, Zhixiang Zhang","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70080","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mpp.70080","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Arabidopsis thaliana serves as an appealing model for viroid research, though prior infection trials have largely failed. Previous studies have shown that mature circular RNAs of certain viroids can be synthesised in A. thaliana via transgenic methods. Here, we confirm this by introducing a transgene encoding the dimeric cDNA of hop stunt viroid (HSVd) genome and explore the potential of HSVd-expressing transgenic A. thaliana in viroid research. Mature HSVd circular genome RNA was detected in transgenic plants but accumulated to relatively low levels. Small RNA (sRNA) sequencing revealed minimal production of HSVd-derived sRNAs, suggesting inefficient replication. This finding highlights the importance of double-stranded replication intermediates as the primary source of viroid sRNAs. Moreover, the low replication efficiency increases the likelihood of identifying viroid-binding host factors involved in early molecular interactions using transgenic A. thaliana. Transcriptome analysis indicated that HSVd expression significantly altered the expression of thousands of A. thaliana genes, with enrichment in metabolic pathways, biosynthesis, plant hormone signalling, plant-pathogen interactions and MAPK signalling pathways. Interestingly, these pathways align with those observed in cucumber systemically infected with HSVd, suggesting that transgenic A. thaliana mimics systemic viroid infections and offers a promising model for studying viroid-host interactions. Thus, despite the challenges of establishing systemic infection, HSVd-expressing transgenic A. thaliana represents a valuable tool for advancing viroid research.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"26 4","pages":"e70080"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11950631/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143730427","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}
Xiaozhen Zhao, Yuxin Qiu, Aning Jiang, Yan Huang, Peixue Ma, Bingqin Yuan, Li Chen, Chengqi Zhang
{"title":"Transcription Activator FgDDT Interacts With FgISW1 to Regulate Fungal Development and Pathogenicity in the Global Pathogen Fusarium graminearum.","authors":"Xiaozhen Zhao, Yuxin Qiu, Aning Jiang, Yan Huang, Peixue Ma, Bingqin Yuan, Li Chen, Chengqi Zhang","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70076","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mpp.70076","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Several DNA-binding homeobox and different transcription factor (DDT)-domain proteins form stable remodelling complexes with imitation switch (ISWI) chromatin remodelling factors. ISWI complexes have been reported to be involved in various biological processes in many eukaryotic species. However, in phytopathogenic fungi, the regulatory mechanisms underlying the functions of DDT-domain proteins in ISWI complexes remain unclear. Here, chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing (ChIP-seq) assays were used to demonstrate that FgDDT from Fusarium graminearum was enriched within the promoter regions of genes associated with metabolic and MAPK signalling pathways, thereby activating their expression. Moreover, two additional ISWI genes, FgISW1 and FgISW2, were identified and characterised, with subsequent analyses indicating that the ISWI components FgISW1 and FgDDT are essential for fungal development and pathogenicity rather than FgISW2. Further experiments revealed that FgDDT binds to FgISW1 to form an ISWI complex that activates the expression of functional genes in F. graminearum, consequently contributing to its pathogenicity and development. FgDDT was also observed as highly conserved in Fusarium species but exhibits low similarity to homologues in Homo sapiens and Arabidopsis thaliana, suggesting that functional studies of FgDDT are crucial to uncover its unique role within Fusarium. These findings provide a basis for further understanding the molecular mechanisms by which ISWI complexes function in fungi and contribute to their pathogenicity.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"26 4","pages":"e70076"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11950633/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143730448","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}
Shixuan Zhang, Jialin Wang, Bai Li, Jinping Zang, Hongzhe Cao, Jihong Xing, Jingao Dong, Kang Zhang
{"title":"Molecular Characterisation of the Peroxidase Gene Family in Botrytis cinerea and the Role of BcPRD7 in Virulence.","authors":"Shixuan Zhang, Jialin Wang, Bai Li, Jinping Zang, Hongzhe Cao, Jihong Xing, Jingao Dong, Kang Zhang","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70079","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mpp.70079","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Peroxidase activity is essential for the virulence of a number of plant-pathogenic fungi. However, there are few reports of the systematic analysis of peroxidase genes in Botrytis cinerea. We identified all the peroxidase genes of B. cinerea by searching the fungal peroxidase database and found that the expression levels of BcPRD3, BcPRD7, BcPRD8 and BcPRD10 changed significantly during hyphal development and in response to H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> stress treatment and infection of Arabidopsis thaliana by B. cinerea. We found that the hyphae of the mutant strains became more slender, the number and size of the infection structures decreased, the number of conidia decreased and the stress response and virulence decreased significantly. These four genes positively regulated the growth, development and pathogenicity of B. cinerea and participated in osmotic and oxidative stress response and cell integrity maintenance. In addition, we also found that BcPRD7 played important roles in oxidase enzyme activity, ion penetration, the synthesis and metabolism of mycotoxins, and determined the interaction between BcPRD7 and BcHEX, the latter being the major protein of the Woronin body. It is speculated that BcPRD7 may regulate the growth, development and pathogenicity of the pathogen by participating in the development of the Woronin body. The function of peroxidase family genes in B. cinerea was systematically analysed in this study, which provides a solid foundation for the subsequent in-depth elucidation of the relevant regulatory mechanisms and is expected to provide new ideas and strategies for the prevention and control of B. cinerea diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"26 4","pages":"e70079"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11959156/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143753420","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}
Xiaoxiao Xie, Jian Ling, Shaoyun Dong, Mingjuan Zhai, Junru Lu, Jianlong Zhao, Xueyong Yang, Xin Dong, Yan Li, Richard G F Visser, Yuling Bai, Zhenchuan Mao, Shengping Zhang, Bingyan Xie
{"title":"Clade V MLO Genes Are Negative Modulators of Cucumber Defence Response to Meloidogyne incognita.","authors":"Xiaoxiao Xie, Jian Ling, Shaoyun Dong, Mingjuan Zhai, Junru Lu, Jianlong Zhao, Xueyong Yang, Xin Dong, Yan Li, Richard G F Visser, Yuling Bai, Zhenchuan Mao, Shengping Zhang, Bingyan Xie","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70078","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mpp.70078","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cucumber production is seriously constrained by Meloidogyne incognita. Because no resistance resources to the pathogen have been reported, disabling susceptibility genes may represent a novel breeding strategy to introduce resistance against this nematode in cucumber. Here, we studied the clade V MLO genes for their involvement in the interaction between cucumber and M. incognita. Our results showed that Arabidopsis clade V MLO mutants were resistant to M. incognita. Cucumber has three clade V MLO genes, CsaMLO1, CsaMLO8 and CsaMLO11, with upregulated expression upon inoculation with M. incognita. Heterologous overexpression of CsaMLO1, CsaMLO8 and CsaMLO11 in Arabidopsis mutants restored susceptibility to varying degrees. Silencing and knockout of individual clade V MLO genes in cucumber reduced susceptibility to M. incognita. The cucumber CRISPR mutants produced similar fruits as the wild type (WT) did. Although the yields of two single mutants (M11<sup>1</sup> and M11<sup>2</sup>) and two double mutants (M8<sup>1</sup> M11<sup>1</sup> and M8<sup>1</sup> M11<sup>2</sup>) were reduced compared to WT, the yields of M8<sup>1</sup> and M8<sup>2</sup> were not decreased. In summary, clade V MLO genes function as susceptibility genes for M. incognita in cucumber. Among them, CsaMLO8 may be the most promising candidate for M. incognita resistance breeding in cucumber.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"26 4","pages":"e70078"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11950635/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143730401","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":"Xanthomonas oryzae Orphan Response Regulator EmvR Is Involved in Virulence, Extracellular Polysaccharide Production and Cell Motility.","authors":"Pei-Dong Ren, Zeng-Feng Ma, Qing-Qing Liu, Xin-Qi Xia, Gui-Ning Zhu, Ji-Liang Tang, Rui-Fang Li, Guang-Tao Lu","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70083","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mpp.70083","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bacteria have evolved a large number of two-component signalling systems (TCSs), which are typically composed of a histidine sensor kinase (HK) and a response regulator (RR), to sense environmental changes and modulate subsequent adaptive responses. Here, we describe the involvement of an orphan single-domain RR named EmvR in the virulence, extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) production and cell motilities of the bacterial leaf streak pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc), which infects rice leaves mainly via stomata and wounds. Deletion of emvR in Xoc reduced virulence when using spraying inoculation but not when using infiltration inoculation. The emvR deletion mutant displayed weakened spreading and enhanced twitching. Additionally, although deletion of emvR did not significantly affect EPS production, overexpression of emvR significantly increased EPS production. Several standard assays revealed that EmvR physically interacts with PilB and represses its ATPase activity. Combining our data with previous findings that PilB provides the energy for type IV pilus (T4P) biogenesis, we conclude that EmvR plays a vital role in modulating Xoc T4P synthesis and in the early stage of Xoc infection through rice stomata. Moreover, our data reveal that EmvR can also interact with the HK of the TCS ColS<sub>XOCgx_4036</sub>/ColR<sub>XOCgx_4037</sub>, which positively and negatively affects Xoc spreading and twitching, respectively. We propose a 'one-to-two' TCS working model for the role of ColS<sub>XOCgx_4036</sub>, ColR<sub>XOCgx_4037</sub>, and EmvR in modulating Xoc motility.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"26 4","pages":"e70083"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11973254/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143795936","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}
Anburaj Jeyaraj, Shujing Liu, Rui Han, Yuxin Zhao, Tamilselvi Elango, Yuhua Wang, Xuan Chen, Jing Zhuang, Xinghui Li
{"title":"The regulation of auxin receptor gene CsAFB2 by csn-miR393a confers resistance against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides in tea plants.","authors":"Anburaj Jeyaraj, Shujing Liu, Rui Han, Yuxin Zhao, Tamilselvi Elango, Yuhua Wang, Xuan Chen, Jing Zhuang, Xinghui Li","doi":"10.1111/mpp.13499","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mpp.13499","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Anthracnose, a severe disease caused by Colletotrichum, affects diverse crops and leads to significant economic losses through pronounced fruit/leaf lesions. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in modulating gene expression in response to disease resistance, defence responses and plant immunity. However, the regulatory mechanisms of miRNAs in responses to Colletotrichum gloeosporioides remain unknown in tea plants. Our study revealed that csn-miR393a targets auxin receptor gene CsAFB2 during resistance to C. gloeosporioides in tea plants by comparing the resistant cultivar Zhongcha108 to the susceptible cultivar Longjing43. Through Nicotiana benthamiana leaf co-transformation assays, we demonstrated that csn-miR393a suppresses the expression of CsAFB2, and csn-miR393a target mimic blocks the function of csn-miR393a, leading to increase in the expression of CsAFB2. Repression of transcripts in tea leaves by antisense oligonucleotides demonstrated that csn-miR393a negatively affects the tea plant defence by regulating reactive oxygen species homoeostasis, PR gene expression and catechin accumulation. To further validate the regulatory mechanisms of csn-miR393a, we developed transgenic tea plants overexpressing CsAFB2, resulting in enhanced resistance responses against C. gloeosporioides. Additionally, transgenic N. benthamiana lines overexpressing a csn-miR393a target mimic provided further evidence that csn-miR393a negatively regulates the tea plant defence response against C. gloeosporioides by suppressing CsAFB2. Therefore, manipulating csn-miR393a or its target gene, CsAFB2, has the potential to strengthen the tea plant's resistance against tea anthracnose.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"26 4","pages":"e13499"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11950636/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143730438","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}
Guangxing Miao, Jiatao Xie, Yanping Fu, Bo Li, Tao Chen, Yang Lin, Xiao Yu, Tom Hsiang, Daohong Jiang, Jiasen Cheng
{"title":"A Necrotrophic Phytopathogen-Derived GPI-Anchored Protein Functions as an Elicitor to Activate Plant Immunity and Enhance Resistance.","authors":"Guangxing Miao, Jiatao Xie, Yanping Fu, Bo Li, Tao Chen, Yang Lin, Xiao Yu, Tom Hsiang, Daohong Jiang, Jiasen Cheng","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70072","DOIUrl":"10.1111/mpp.70072","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>GPI-anchored proteins are widely distributed in eukaryotic cells. However, their functions are still poorly understood in necrotrophic pathogenic fungi. Here, based on Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transient expression screening, a novel secreted GPI-anchored protein, SsGP1, that induces plant cell death was characterised in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. The homologues of SsGP1 are broadly distributed among ascomycetes. SsGP1 can activate plant immune responses, including reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst and the up-regulated expression of immunity genes, in a manner that is dependent on BAK1 but independent of SOBIR1. Treatment of plants with SsGP1 protein enhanced the resistance of Nicotiana benthamiana and Arabidopsis thaliana to S. sclerotiorum. Our findings reveal that SsGP1 functions as a pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) and is recognised by plants in a BAK1-dependent manner.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"26 4","pages":"e70072"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11950629/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143730395","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":"Transcription Factor SsNdt80b Maintains Optimal Expression of SsSNF1 to Modulate Growth and Pathogenicity in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.","authors":"Wenli Jiao, Tianyi Lei, Qingyu Duan, Jingyuan Wang, Yushan Yang, Guang Li, Rongbao Zhang, Hongyu Pan, Yanhua Zhang","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70088","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mpp.70088","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microorganisms use versatile strategies to facilitate the colonisation of hosts, through remodelling transcription and metabolism to accommodate growth under harsh and hostile environments. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a typical necrotrophic pathogen that causes Sclerotinia stem rot in more than 700 species, resulting in serious economic losses. How S. sclerotiorum integrates mechanisms for nutrient acquisition and utilisation to maintain optimal growth and pathogenicity is still indistinct. Here, we demonstrate that Ndt80 family transcription factors (SsNdt80a,b,c) are involved in carbon source utilisation and have different roles in the growth, sclerotia formation, infection cushion development, and the virulence of S. sclerotiorum. SsNdt80b could bind the promoter of SsSNF1 and modulate the transcriptional activity of SsSNF1. Silencing SsSNF1 resulted in defects in hyphal growth and infection cushion formation, reduced cell wall-degrading enzymes, and reduced pathogenicity of S. sclerotiorum. A model is proposed in which SsNdt80b responds to carbon sources and modulates SsSnf1 to regulate the development and pathogenicity of S. sclerotiorum.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"26 4","pages":"e70088"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12008772/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143972302","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}
Haiyuan Li, Xiaotong Gai, Xiangming Xu, Jun Qin, Steve J Klosterman, Krishna V Subbarao, Wenjing Shang, Xiaoping Hu
{"title":"Verticillium dahliae Secretory Aspartyl Protease VdSAP Targets Cotton GhARP to Modulate Plant Defence and Defoliation.","authors":"Haiyuan Li, Xiaotong Gai, Xiangming Xu, Jun Qin, Steve J Klosterman, Krishna V Subbarao, Wenjing Shang, Xiaoping Hu","doi":"10.1111/mpp.70085","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/mpp.70085","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Verticillium dahliae isolates causing devastating vascular wilt in cotton plants can be divided into defoliating and nondefoliating pathotypes. The mechanisms underlying how V. dahliae uses secretory proteins to manipulate plant physiological processes and suppress immunity in cotton plants have received renewed research focus over the past several years. Here, we describe the role of a secretory protein named VdSAP (secretory aspartyl protease) from the defoliating V. dahliae strain XJ592 in virulence and defoliation. Deletion of VdSAP in strain XJ592 led to significantly reduced virulence and cotton plant defoliation. VdSAP functioned as a protease that targeted cotton plant GhARP (auxin-repressed protein), and VdSAP negatively regulated GhARP content in plants. Transient expression of GhARP in Nicotiana benthamiana enhanced the expression of plant defence signals and inhibited plant abscission signals. Furthermore, GhARP negatively regulated the ethylene (ET) signal and positively regulated the salicylic acid (SA) signal. In addition, GhARP interacted with 1-aminocyclopropane carboxylate oxidases (GhACOs), suggesting that it might function through the ET signal during V. dahliae-cotton plant interactions. These results suggest that GhARP is a molecular link between plant defence and abscission signals, and that VdSAP decreases accumulation of GhARP and enhances the virulence and defoliation caused by V. dahliae.</p>","PeriodicalId":18763,"journal":{"name":"Molecular plant pathology","volume":"26 4","pages":"e70085"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12008774/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144024812","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}