title: An Oomycete CRN Effector Reprograms Expression of Plant HSP Genes by Targeting their Promoters.
abstract: Oomycete pathogens produce a large number of CRN effectors to manipulate plant immune responses and promote infection. However, their functional mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we identified a Phytophthora sojae CRN effector PsCRN108 which contains a putative DNA-binding helix-hairpin-helix (HhH) motif and acts in the plant cell nucleus. Silencing of the PsCRN108 gene reduced P. sojae virulence to soybean, while expression of the gene in Nicotiana benthamiana and Arabidopsis thaliana enhanced plant susceptibility to P. capsici. Moreover, PsCRN108 could inhibit expression of HSP genes in A. thaliana, N. benthamiana and soybean. Both the HhH motif and nuclear localization signal of this effector were required for its contribution to virulence and its suppression of HSP gene expression. Furthermore, we found that PsCRN108 targeted HSP promoters in an HSE- and HhH motif-dependent manner. PsCRN108 could inhibit the association of the HSE with the plant heat shock transcription factor AtHsfA1a, which initializes HSP gene expression in response to stress. Therefore, our data support a role for PsCRN108 as a nucleomodulin in down-regulating the expression of plant defense-related genes by directly targeting specific plant promoters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Tianqiao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Zhenchuan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Danyu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Wanlin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Liming
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Tingyue
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Meixiang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Yuanchao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Daolong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dou
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D047369:Chromatin Immunoprecipitation; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D024202:Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D000076249:Heat Shock Transcription Factors; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000276:immunology*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010838:Phytophthora / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D000076249:Heat Shock Transcription Factors; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D037521:Virulence Factors