title: Verticillium dahliae LysM effectors differentially contribute to virulence on plant hosts.
abstract: Chitin-binding lysin motif (LysM) effectors contribute to the virulence of various plant-pathogenic fungi that are causal agents of foliar diseases. Here, we report the LysM effectors of the soil-borne fungal vascular wilt pathogen Verticillium dahliae. Comparative genomics revealed three core LysM effectors that are conserved in a collection of V. dahliae strains. Remarkably, and in contrast with the previously studied LysM effectors of other plant pathogens, no expression of core LysM effectors was monitored in planta in a taxonomically diverse panel of host plants. Moreover, targeted deletion of the individual LysM effector genes in V. dahliae strain JR2 did not compromise virulence in infections on Arabidopsis, tomato or Nicotiana benthamiana. Interestingly, an additional lineage-specific LysM effector is encoded in the genome of V. dahliae strain VdLs17, but not in any other V. dahliae strain sequenced to date. Remarkably, this lineage-specific effector is expressed in planta and contributes to the virulence of V. dahliae strain VdLs17 on tomato, but not on Arabidopsis or N. benthamiana. Functional analysis revealed that this LysM effector binds chitin, is able to suppress chitin-induced immune responses and protects fungal hyphae against hydrolysis by plant hydrolytic enzymes. Thus, in contrast with the core LysM effectors of V. dahliae, this lineage-specific LysM effector of strain VdLs17 contributes to virulence in planta.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Phytopathology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Wageningen, PB 6708, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kombrink
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Phytopathology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Wageningen, PB 6708, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rovenich
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Phytopathology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Wageningen, PB 6708, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Xiaoqian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shi-Kunne
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Phytopathology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Wageningen, PB 6708, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rojas-Padilla
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Phytopathology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Wageningen, PB 6708, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Grardy C M
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: van den Berg
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Phytopathology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Wageningen, PB 6708, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Emmanouil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Domazakis
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Phytopathology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Wageningen, PB 6708, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ronnie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Jonge
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Phytopathology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Wageningen, PB 6708, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Dirk-Jan
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Valkenburg
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Phytopathology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Wageningen, PB 6708, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Vallet
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Phytopathology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Wageningen, PB 6708, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Seidl
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Phytopathology, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, Wageningen, PB 6708, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Bart P H J
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Thomma
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000382:microbiology*; D002686:Chitin / Q000378:metabolism; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D016681:Genome, Fungal; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006868:Hydrolysis; D025301:Hyphae / Q000378:metabolism; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000382:microbiology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D057865:Plant Immunity; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011485:Protein Binding; D000072417:Protein Domains; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000382:microbiology*; D020172:Verticillium / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D002686:Chitin
keywords: aggressiveness; chitin; comparative genomics; hyphal protection; lineage-specific effector; tomato; vascular wilt disease