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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Cereal Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #315253
Title: Identification of candidate effector proteins potentially involved in Fusarium graminearum-wheat interactions

Author
item Lu, Shunwen
item Edwards, Michael

Submitted to: American Phytopathological Society
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/8/2015
Publication Date: 8/1/2015
Citation: Lu, S., Edwards, M.C. 2015. Identification of candidate effector proteins potentially involved in Fusarium graminearum-wheat interactions. American Phytopathological Society. Available: http://www.apsnet.org/meetings/Documents/2015_meeting_abstracts/aps2015abP183.htm.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Pathogen-derived small secreted cysteine-rich proteins (SSCPs) are known to be a common source of fungal effectors that trigger resistance or susceptibility in specific host plants. This group of proteins has not been well studied in Fusarium graminearum, the primary cause of Fusarium head blight (FHB), a devastating disease of wheat. Here we report the identification of candidate effectors from this fungus through a culture filtrate-based approach. Fungal mycelia were grown in liquid medium under nitrogen starvation mimicking pathogenesis conditions. Total secreted proteins were isolated from the culture filtrates and subjected to SDS-PAGE analysis, which detected multiple species of proteins with molecular masses ranging from 10-150 kDa. Subsequent shotgun mass spectrometry and database searches identified a total of 153 secreted proteins, including 15 with characteristics of SSCPs (<200 amino acids, Cys content = 2%). Sequence analysis indicated that these 15 extracellular SSCPs (~10% of the total SSCPs encoded in the F. graminearum genome) have no predicted functions and 10 of them appear to be unique to F. graminearum or species within the same genus. RT-PCR analysis confirmed that six SSCPs are expressed in infected wheat heads, half of which have expression levels that correlate with the development of FHB symptoms. Gene knockout experiments are underway to determine the potential roles of these candidate effector proteins in Fusarium graminearum-wheat interactions.