Oomycete intracellular effectors: specialised weapons targeting strategic plant processes. Issue 3 (20th November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fabro, Georgina
• Is Part Of: New phytologist. Volume 233:Issue 3(2022)
• Page Start: 1074
• Page End: 1082
• Publication Date: 2021-11-20
• Subjects: autophagy -- cell death -- oomycete effectors -- plant targets -- protein degradation -- protein secretion -- siRNA effectors -- transcription and RNAi; Botany -- Periodicals; 580
• DOI: 10.1111/nph.17828
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0028-646X

Abstract

Summary: Oomycete phytopathogens have adapted to colonise plants using effectors as their molecular weapons. Intracellular effectors, mostly proteins but also small ribonucleic acids, are delivered by the pathogens into the host cell cytoplasm where they interfere with normal plant physiology. The diverse host processes emerging as 'victims' of these 'specialised bullets' include gene transcription and RNA‐mediated silencing, cell death, protein stability, protein secretion and autophagy. Some effector targets are directly involved in defence execution, while others participate in fundamental metabolisms whose alteration collaterally affects defences. Other effector targets are susceptibility factors (SFs), that is host components that make plants vulnerable to pathogens. SFs are mostly negative regulators of immunity, but some seem necessary to sustain or promote pathogen colonisation.