Effectors with Different Gears: Divergence of <i>Ustilago maydis</i> Effector Genes Is Associated with Their Temporal Expression Pattern during Plant Infection
Plant pathogens secrete a variety of effector proteins that enable host colonization but are also typical pathogen detection targets for the host immune system. Consequently, effector genes encounter high selection pressures, which typically makes them fast evolving. The corn smut pathogen <i>...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Fungi |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/7/1/16 |
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| author | Jasper R. L. Depotter Weiliang Zuo Maike Hansen Boqi Zhang Mingliang Xu Gunther Doehlemann |
| author_facet | Jasper R. L. Depotter Weiliang Zuo Maike Hansen Boqi Zhang Mingliang Xu Gunther Doehlemann |
| author_sort | Jasper R. L. Depotter |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Plant pathogens secrete a variety of effector proteins that enable host colonization but are also typical pathogen detection targets for the host immune system. Consequently, effector genes encounter high selection pressures, which typically makes them fast evolving. The corn smut pathogen <i>Ustilago maydis</i> has an effector gene repertoire with a dynamic expression across the different disease stages. We determined the amino acid divergence of <i>U. maydis</i> effector candidates with <i>Sporisorium reilianum</i> orthologs, a close relative of <i>U. maydis</i>. Intriguingly, there are two distinct groups of effector candidates, ones with a respective conserved and diverged protein evolution. Conservatively evolving effector genes especially have their peak expression during the (pre-)penetration stages of the disease cycle. In contrast, expression of divergently evolving effector genes generally peaks during fungal proliferation within the host. To test if this interspecific effector diversity corresponds to intraspecific diversity, we sampled and sequenced a diverse collection of <i>U. maydis</i> strains from the most important maize breeding and production regions in China. Effector candidates with a diverged interspecific evolution had more intraspecific amino acid variation than candidates with a conserved evolution. In conclusion, we highlight diversity in evolution within the <i>U. maydis</i> effector repertoire with dynamically and conservatively evolving members. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:40:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5275fe7762d9403c8101855c2a0c6a32 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2309-608X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:40:34Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Fungi |
| spelling | doaj.art-5275fe7762d9403c8101855c2a0c6a322023-11-21T03:01:51ZengMDPI AGJournal of Fungi2309-608X2020-12-01711610.3390/jof7010016Effectors with Different Gears: Divergence of <i>Ustilago maydis</i> Effector Genes Is Associated with Their Temporal Expression Pattern during Plant InfectionJasper R. L. Depotter0Weiliang Zuo1Maike Hansen2Boqi Zhang3Mingliang Xu4Gunther Doehlemann5Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne, CEPLAS, D-50674 Cologne, GermanyInstitute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne, CEPLAS, D-50674 Cologne, GermanyInstitute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne, CEPLAS, D-50674 Cologne, GermanyNational Maize Improvement Centre of China, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaNational Maize Improvement Centre of China, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, ChinaInstitute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne, CEPLAS, D-50674 Cologne, GermanyPlant pathogens secrete a variety of effector proteins that enable host colonization but are also typical pathogen detection targets for the host immune system. Consequently, effector genes encounter high selection pressures, which typically makes them fast evolving. The corn smut pathogen <i>Ustilago maydis</i> has an effector gene repertoire with a dynamic expression across the different disease stages. We determined the amino acid divergence of <i>U. maydis</i> effector candidates with <i>Sporisorium reilianum</i> orthologs, a close relative of <i>U. maydis</i>. Intriguingly, there are two distinct groups of effector candidates, ones with a respective conserved and diverged protein evolution. Conservatively evolving effector genes especially have their peak expression during the (pre-)penetration stages of the disease cycle. In contrast, expression of divergently evolving effector genes generally peaks during fungal proliferation within the host. To test if this interspecific effector diversity corresponds to intraspecific diversity, we sampled and sequenced a diverse collection of <i>U. maydis</i> strains from the most important maize breeding and production regions in China. Effector candidates with a diverged interspecific evolution had more intraspecific amino acid variation than candidates with a conserved evolution. In conclusion, we highlight diversity in evolution within the <i>U. maydis</i> effector repertoire with dynamically and conservatively evolving members.https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/7/1/16effector repertoire<i>Sporisorium</i>evolutionary arms racesmut pathogen<i>Ustilago</i> |
| spellingShingle | Jasper R. L. Depotter Weiliang Zuo Maike Hansen Boqi Zhang Mingliang Xu Gunther Doehlemann Effectors with Different Gears: Divergence of <i>Ustilago maydis</i> Effector Genes Is Associated with Their Temporal Expression Pattern during Plant Infection Journal of Fungi effector repertoire <i>Sporisorium</i> evolutionary arms race smut pathogen <i>Ustilago</i> |
| title | Effectors with Different Gears: Divergence of <i>Ustilago maydis</i> Effector Genes Is Associated with Their Temporal Expression Pattern during Plant Infection |
| title_full | Effectors with Different Gears: Divergence of <i>Ustilago maydis</i> Effector Genes Is Associated with Their Temporal Expression Pattern during Plant Infection |
| title_fullStr | Effectors with Different Gears: Divergence of <i>Ustilago maydis</i> Effector Genes Is Associated with Their Temporal Expression Pattern during Plant Infection |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effectors with Different Gears: Divergence of <i>Ustilago maydis</i> Effector Genes Is Associated with Their Temporal Expression Pattern during Plant Infection |
| title_short | Effectors with Different Gears: Divergence of <i>Ustilago maydis</i> Effector Genes Is Associated with Their Temporal Expression Pattern during Plant Infection |
| title_sort | effectors with different gears divergence of i ustilago maydis i effector genes is associated with their temporal expression pattern during plant infection |
| topic | effector repertoire <i>Sporisorium</i> evolutionary arms race smut pathogen <i>Ustilago</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/7/1/16 |
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