The root pathogen Aphanomyces euteiches secretes modular proteases in pea apoplast during host infection

Journal article

Lentils (Lens culinaris) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa) are among multiple pulse crops susceptible to Aphanomyces root rot (ARR). Aphanomyces euteiches, an ancient and destructive oomycete is the filamentous pathogen responsible for ARR infection. As obligate hemibiotrophs, A. euteiches’ infection strategy includes secreting effectors, facilitating evasion and suppression of the plant immune system to complete its reproductive lifecycle, and generating hardy oospores viable in soils for up to a decade. To date, multiple effectors and their plant cell targets have been identified, though the broader molecular communities that these effector-target pairs operate within remain unknown. Using data generated during ARR infection of legume host roots, we conduct a systems level analysis, employing machine learning models to identify ARR resistance-associated features (RAFs) in lentil (LRFs), Medicago (MRFs), and A. euteiches (ARFs) before and during infection, to construct directional host↔pathogen gene antagonism networks (GANs). Supported by the associated functional and contextual analyses, these GANs identify specific ARF↔(LRF/MRF) interactions during infection, and associate functionality to the greater communities that they belong to. Furthermore, by constructing and analyzing these GANs, we identify LRF-1 and MRF-1 as potential A. euteiches-specific pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that likely confer partial ARR resistance in lentil and Medicago. We also implicate a retrotransposon (RT) as potentially playing a key role during the infection of tolerant Medicago plant

Authors: Kiselev, A; Camborde, L; Carballo, LO; Kaschani, F; Kaiser, M

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Frontiers Media
• Journal: Frontiers in Plant Science
• Volume: 14
• Pages: 1140101-1140101
• Article number: 1140101
• Publication date: 2023-03-27
• DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1140101
• EISSN: 1664-462X
• ISSN: 1664-462X
• Language: English
• Keywords: Serine; Extracellular; Proteases; Root rot; Cell wall; Microbiology; Biology; Botany; Biochemistry; Oomycete; Pathogen; Enzyme; Apoplast