A Plasmodium-like virulence effector of the soybean cyst nematode suppresses plant innate immunity.
Heterodera glycines, the soybean cyst nematode, delivers effector proteins into soybean roots to initiate and maintain an obligate parasitic relationship. HgGLAND18 encodes a candidate H. glycines effector and is expressed throughout the infection process. We used a combination of molecular, genetic, bioinformatic and phylogenetic analyses to determine the role of HgGLAND18 during H. glycines infection. HgGLAND18 is necessary for pathogenicity in compatible interactions with soybean. The encoded effector strongly suppresses both basal and hypersensitive cell death innate immune responses, and immunosuppression requires the presence and coordination between multiple protein domains. The N-terminal domain in HgGLAND18 contains unique sequence similarity to domains of an immunosuppressive effector of Plasmodium spp., the malaria parasites. The Plasmodium effector domains functionally complement the loss of the N-terminal domain from HgGLAND18. In-depth sequence searches and phylogenetic analyses demonstrate convergent evolution between effectors from divergent parasites of plants and animals as the cause of sequence and functional similarity.
Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
Jason B
JB
Noon
Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
Mingsheng
M
Qi
Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
Danielle N
DN
Sill
Genome Informatics Facility, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
Usha
U
Muppirala
Division of Plant Sciences, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK.
Sebastian
S
Eves-van den Akker
Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
Thomas R
TR
Maier
Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
Drena
D
Dobbs
Division of Plant Sciences and Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA.
Melissa G
MG
Mitchum
Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
Tarek
T
Hewezi
Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA. tbaum@iastate.edu.
Thomas J
TJ
Baum
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D057865:Plant Immunity; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000469:parasitology; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000502:physiology*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D000072417:Protein Domains; D034622:RNA Interference; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid / Q000235:genetics; D013025:Glycine max / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D014431:Tylenchoidea / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
D010940:Plant Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors
GLAND18; Plasmodium; circumsporozoite protein (CSP); convergent evolution; immunity; malaria; pathogenicity; soybean cyst nematode