Abstract
Abstract The effectome of the necrotrophic fungal pathogen, Alternaria solani , was determined using multiomics. In total, 238 effector candidates were predicted from the A. solani genome, and apoplastic effectors constitute most of the total candidate effector proteins (AsCEPs). Comparative genomics revealed two main groups of AsCEPs: lineage-specific and conserved effectors. RNA-Seq analysis revealed that the most highly expressed genes encoding AsCEPs were enriched with lineage-specific forms. Two lineage-specific effector genes, AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 , were found to form a ‘head-to-head’ gene pair located near an AT-rich region on the chromosome. To date, AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 have been found only in a few fungal species. Phylogenetic inference revealed that AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 were likely acquired by the common ancestor of A. solani and A. tomatophila via horizontal gene transfer, probably mediated by long terminal repeat retrotransposon. RT-qPCR analysis showed that AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 are tightly coexpressed in a host-specific manner and that they are upregulated at advanced stages of A. solani infection only in solanaceous hosts. Transient expression of AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 in Nicotiana benthamiana plants showed that these effectors could promote Phytophthora infestans infection. AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 were required for the full virulence of A. solani on host potato, because deletion of this gene pair significantly reduced the size of necrotic lesions on potato leaves. Transient expression of AsCEP20 could elicit plant cell death depending on the presence of its signal peptide, indicating that AsCEP20 is a necrosis-inducing apoplastic effector with the mature form localized specifically in chloroplasts. Our work provides a better understanding of the function and evolution of necrotrophic fungal effectors, and helps explain the high aggressiveness of A. solani against solanaceous crops.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Alternaria solani genome yields 238 effector candidates.
- Taxon
- potato and tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Interactor
- A. solani
Alternaria solanie1pathogen - Outcome
- effector candidatese1
- Value
- 238e1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.



Verbatim
t0“potato and tomato early blight pathogen”
e1“In total, 238 effector candidates were predicted from the A. solani genome”
Claim · model-written summary
Apoplastic effectors make up most of the candidate effector proteins of Alternaria solani.
- Taxon
- potato and tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Outcome
- apoplastic effectorse2
- Qualifier
- most of the total candidate effector proteinse2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
t0“potato and tomato early blight pathogen”
e2“apoplastic effectors constitute most of the total candidate effector proteins (AsCEPs)”
Claim · model-written summary
Comparative genomics of Alternaria solani revealed two groups of candidate effectors.
- Taxon
- potato and tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Outcome
- groups of AsCEPse3
- Value
- twoe3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
t0“potato and tomato early blight pathogen”
e3“Comparative genomics revealed two main groups of AsCEPs: lineage-specific and conserved effectors”
Claim · model-written summary
The most highly expressed Alternaria solani effector genes are enriched with lineage-specific forms.
- Taxon
- potato and tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Outcome
- most highly expressed genes encoding AsCEPs were enriched with lineage-specific formse4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
t0“potato and tomato early blight pathogen”
e4“RNA-Seq analysis revealed that the most highly expressed genes encoding AsCEPs were enriched with lineage-specific forms”
Claim · model-written summary
AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 form a head-to-head gene pair located near an AT-rich region of the chromosome.
- Taxon
- potato and tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Gene
- AsCEP19 and AsCEP20e5
- Outcome
- located near an AT-rich region on the chromosomee5
- Qualifier
- head-to-heade5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
t0“potato and tomato early blight pathogen”
e5“Two lineage-specific effector genes, AsCEP19 and AsCEP20, were found to form a ‘head-to-head’ gene pair located near an AT-rich region on the chromosome”
Claim · model-written summary
AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 were likely acquired by the common ancestor of A. solani and A. tomatophila through horizontal gene transfer.
- Taxon
- potato and tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Gene
- AsCEP19 and AsCEP20e6
- Outcome
- acquired by the common ancestor of A. solani and A. tomatophilae6
- Qualifier
- via horizontal gene transfere6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
t0“potato and tomato early blight pathogen”
e6“AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 were likely acquired by the common ancestor of A. solani and A. tomatophila via horizontal gene transfer”
Claim · model-written summary
AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 are tightly coexpressed in a host-specific manner.
- Taxon
- potato and tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Gene
- AsCEP19 and AsCEP20e7
- Outcome
- tightly coexpressede7
- Qualifier
- in a host-specific mannere7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
t0“potato and tomato early blight pathogen”
e7“AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 are tightly coexpressed in a host-specific manner”
Claim · model-written summary
The AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 pair is upregulated at advanced infection stages only in solanaceous hosts.
- Taxon
- solanaceous hostse1
- Interactor
- A. solani
Alternaria solanie1pathogen - Outcome
- upregulated at advanced stages of A. solani infectione1
- Qualifier
- only in solanaceous hostse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e1“they are upregulated at advanced stages of A. solani infection only in solanaceous hosts”
Claim · model-written summary
Transient expression of AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 in Nicotiana benthamiana promoted Phytophthora infestans infection.
- Taxon
- Nicotiana benthamiana
Nicotiana benthamianae1 - Treatment
- Transient expressione1
- Interactor
- Phytophthora infestans
Phytophthora infestanse1pathogen - Gene
- AsCEP19 and AsCEP20e1
- Outcome
- Phytophthora infestans infectione1
- Direction
- promotee1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e1“Transient expression of AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 in Nicotiana benthamiana plants showed that these effectors could promote Phytophthora infestans infection”
Claim · model-written summary
Deleting the AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 gene pair significantly reduced necrotic lesion size on potato leaves, showing full virulence of Alternaria solani on host potato.
- Taxon
- potato
Solanum tuberosume2 - Treatment
- deletion of this gene paire1
- Interactor
- A. solani
Alternaria solanie2pathogen - Outcome
- size of necrotic lesions on potato leavese1
- Direction
- reducede1
- Qualifier
- full virulencee2
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e1“deletion of this gene pair significantly reduced the size of necrotic lesions on potato leaves”
e2“AsCEP19 and AsCEP20 were required for the full virulence of A. solani on host potato”
Claim · model-written summary
Transient expression of AsCEP20 could elicit plant cell death.
- Taxon
- potato and tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Treatment
- Transient expression of AsCEP20e1
- Gene
- AsCEP20e1
- Outcome
- plant cell deathe1
- Direction
- elicite1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
t0“potato and tomato early blight pathogen”
e1“Transient expression of AsCEP20 could elicit plant cell death depending on the presence of its signal peptide”
Claim · model-written summary
Mature AsCEP20 is localized specifically in chloroplasts.
- Taxon
- potato and tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Gene
- AsCEP20e1
- Outcome
- mature form localized specifically in chloroplastse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
t0“potato and tomato early blight pathogen”
e1“AsCEP20 is a necrosis-inducing apoplastic effector with the mature form localized specifically in chloroplasts”
Claim · model-written summary
AsCEP20 is a necrosis-inducing apoplastic effector.
- Taxon
- potato and tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Solanum tuberosumt0 - Gene
- AsCEP20e1
- Outcome
- necrosis-inducing apoplastic effectore1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
t0“potato and tomato early blight pathogen”
e1“AsCEP20 is a necrosis-inducing apoplastic effector with the mature form localized specifically in chloroplasts”
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See all 5 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.