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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Frederick, Maryland » Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #373754
Research Project: Identification, Biology, Epidemiology, and Control of Foreign and Emerging Fungal Plant Pathogens

Location: Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research

Title: Comparative analysis of extracellular proteomes reveals effectors of the boxwood blight pathogens, Calonectria henricotiae and C. pseudonaviculata

Author
item YANG, XIAO - Orise Fellow
item McMahon, Michael - Mike
item RAMACHANDRAN, SOWMYA - Orise Fellow
item Garrett, Wesley
item Leblanc, Nicholas
item Crouch, Jo Anne
item Shishkoff, Nina
item Luster, Douglas - Doug

Submitted to: Bioscience Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/5/2021
Publication Date: 3/2/2021
Citation: Yang, X., Mcmahon, M.B., Ramachandran, S.R., Garrett, W.M., Leblanc, N.R., Crouch, J., Shishkoff, N., Luster, D.G. 2021. Comparative analysis of extracellular proteomes reveals effectors of the boxwood blight pathogens, Calonectria henricotiae and C. pseudonaviculata. Bioscience Reports. 41(3):BSR20203544. https://doi.org/10.1042/BSR20203544.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1042/BSR20203544

Interpretive Summary: Boxwood blight, caused by the fungal pathogens Calonectria henricotiae (Che) and C. pseudonaviculata (Cps), is a severe disease threatening the $170 million boxwood production industry in the U.S. Identification of extracellular proteins and pathogenicity effectors of Che and Cps is important to the understanding of the interactions between these pathogens and their hosts. In this project, we profiled extracellular proteins, including those secreted via classical and non-classical pathways, membrane proteins and other types of extracellular proteins. Among extracellular and cell membrane proteins, we identified pathogenicity effectors, including previously-documented plant defense elicitors. These results significantly advance our knowledge of pathogenesis of the two fungal species. Further investigations are warranted on the biological functions of the identified extracellular proteins and roles of the identified effectors in causing boxwood blight disease.

Technical Abstract: Calonectria henricotiae (Che) and C. pseudonaviculata (Cps) are destructive pathogens causing boxwood blight, a persistent threat to the ornamental plant nursery and landscape industries, and historical gardens. Although Che and Cps have shown similar yet distinct characteristics in host range, thermotolerance, fungicide resistance, and sequence analyses, the compositions and biological functions of their extracellular proteomes are unknown. A total of 630 extracellular proteins, 305 of Che and 325 of Cps, were identified in a classical secretion pathway. Additionally, 251 cell membrane proteins, 115 of Che and 136 of Cps, were identified in the classical pathway. Furthermore, 79 extracellular proteins, 48 of Che and 31 of Cps, were identified in a non-classical secretion pathway. Among these extracellular and cell membrane proteins, 124 were identified as plant pathogen effector candidates. Many of these putative effector proteins have previously documented roles in suppressing host defense and facilitating infection processes. Other extracellular proteins of Che and Cps identified in this study play important roles in the cell structure, regulation, metabolism, and pathogenesis. This study provides the fundamental knowledge on the proteomes and pathogenesis-related proteins of Che and Cps. Further investigations are warranted on the biological functions of the identified extracellular proteins and roles of the identified effectors in causing boxwood blight disease.