Comprehensive analysis of Verticillium nonalfalfae in silico secretome uncovers putative effector proteins expressed during hop invasion

Marton, Kristina (author), Flajšman, Marko (author), Radišek, Sebastjan (author), Košmelj, Katarina (author), Jakše, Jernej (author), Javornik, Branka (author), Berne, Sabina (author)

The vascular plant pathogen Verticillium nonalfalfae causes Verticillium wilt in several important crops. VnaSSP4.2 was recently discovered as a V. nonalfalfae virulence effector protein in the xylem sap of infected hop. Here, we expanded our search for candidate secreted effector proteins (CSEPs) in the V. nonalfalfae predicted secretome using a bioinformatic pipeline built on V. nonalfalfae genome data, RNA-Seq and proteomic studies of the interaction with hop. The secretome, rich in carbohydrate active enzymes, proteases, redox proteins and proteins involved in secondary metabolism, cellular processing and signaling, includes 263 CSEPs. Several homologs of known fungal effectors (LysM, NLPs, Hce2, Cerato-platanins, Cyanovirin-N lectins, hydrophobins and CFEM domain containing proteins) and avirulence determinants in the PHI database (Avr-Pita1 and MgSM1) were found. The majority of CSEPs were non-annotated and were narrowed down to 44 top priority candidates based on their likelihood of being effectors. These were examined by spatio-temporal gene expression profiling of infected hop. Among the highest in planta expressed CSEPs, five deletion mutants were tested in pathogenicity assays. A deletion mutant of VnaUn.279, a lethal pathotype specific gene with sequence similarity to SAM-dependent methyltransferase (LaeA), had lower infectivity and showed highly reduced virulence, but no changes in morphology, fungal growth or conidiation were observed. Several putative secreted effector proteins that probably contribute to V. nonalfalfae colonization of hop were identified in this study. Among them, LaeA gene homolog was found to act as a potential novel virulence effector of V. nonalfalfae. The combined results will serve for future characterization of V. nonalfalfae effectors, which will advance our understanding of Verticillium wilt disease.

• Language: English
• Keywords: plant fungal pathogens, protein domains, Verticillium, fungal genomics, fungal genetics, proteases, plant pathogens, gene expression
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2018
• Number of pages: 28 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 13, iss. 6, art. e0198971
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-128210
• UDC: 577
• ISSN on article: 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198971
• COBISS.SI-ID: 8940665
• Publication date in RUL: 06.07.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: PloS one
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• ISSN: 1932-6203
• COBISS.SI-ID: 2005896

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 12.06.2018

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: Verticillium nonalfalfae, hmelj, genetika