Molecular Plant Pathology (2020) 21, 445-459

Nan Zhang, Jiyun Yang, Anfei Fang, Jiyang Wang, Dayong Li, Yuejiao Li, Shanzhi Wang, Fuhao Cui, Junjie Yu, Yongfeng Liu, You-Liang Peng and Wenxian Sun (2020)
The essential effector SCRE1 in Ustilaginoidea virens suppresses rice immunity via a small peptide region
Molecular Plant Pathology 21 (4), 445-459
Abstract: The biotrophic fungal pathogen Ustilaginoidea virens causes rice false smut, a newly emerging plant disease that has become epidemic worldwide in recent years. The U. virens genome encodes many putative effector proteins that, based on the study of other pathosystems, could play an essential role in fungal virulence. However, few studies have been reported on virulence functions of individual U. virens effectors. Here, we report our identification and characterization of the secreted cysteine-rich protein SCRE1, which is an essential virulence effector in U. virens. When SCRE1 was heterologously expressed in Magnaporthe oryzae, the protein was secreted and translocated into plant cells during infection. SCRE1 suppresses the immunity-associated hypersensitive response in the nonhost plant Nicotiana benthamiana. Induced expression of SCRE1 in rice also inhibits pattern-triggered immunity and enhances disease susceptibility to rice bacterial and fungal pathogens. The immunosuppressive activity is localized to a small peptide region that contains an important 'cysteine-proline-alanine-arginine-serine' motif. Furthermore, the scre1 knockout mutant generated using the CRISPR/Cas9 system is attenuated in U. virens virulence to rice, which is greatly complemented by the full-length SCRE1 gene. Collectively, this study indicates that the effector SCRE1 is able to inhibit host immunity and is required for full virulence of U. virens.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Full text of article
Database assignments for author(s): You-Liang Peng

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
resistance/tolerance/defence of host
molecular biology - genes

---

Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Ustilaginoidea virens	Rice (Oryza)