In planta interactor screen of RXLR effectors reveals plant processes manipulated by Phytophthora infestans
J. WIN (1), B. Petre (1), Y. Dagdas (1), T. Bozkurt (3), J. Sklenar (1), M. Schattat (4), A. Abd-El-Haliem (5), L. Cano (6), R. Lozano-Duran (7), A. Jones (8), J. Vossen (9), S. Robatzek (1), S. Schornack (10), S. Kamoun (1) (1) The Sainsbury Laboratory, United Kingdom; (10) Sainsbury Laboratory University of Cambridge, United Kingdom; (2) The Sainsbury Laboratory, United Kingdom; (3) Imperial College London, United Kingdom; (4) Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany; (5) University of Amsterdam, Netherlands; (6) University of Florida, U.S.A.; (7) The Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, China; (8) University of Warwick, United Kingdom; (9) Wageningen UR Plant Breeding, Netherlands

Oomycete plant pathogens deliver RXLR effectors inside plant cells to alter cellular processes to establish infection. To exert their biochemical activities in host cells, effectors interact with plant proteins, which can be targets or helpers/facilitators. This study aims to identify the plant proteins interacting with RXLR effectors and ultimately their function in planta. We transiently expressed 65 effectors in Nicotiana benthamiana, immunoprecipitated these effectors, and identified their associated plant proteins by LC-MS/MS. Out of 65, we obtained candidate interactors for 45 effectors. We categorized the candidate interactors according to their Gene Ontology annotation, which revealed 48 plant processes that are likely targeted by the effectors. For example, the PexRD12/31 family associated with vesicle trafficking-related plant proteins, including vesicle-associated membrane proteins, VAC14, coatomers, vesicle fusing ATPase, syntaxin, exocyst complex, and Ras-related proteins. In the presence of PexRD31, the number of FYVE-labeled endosomal compartments within plant cells increased, suggesting that this effector modulates processes related to vesicular trafficking. In addition, live imaging by confocal microscopy showed that PexRD12/31 effectors accumulated in periplasmic and extrahaustorial membranes indicating important roles in establishing infection.

Abstract Number: P9-321
Session Type: Poster