The Secreted Protein MoHrip1 Is Necessary for the Virulence of .

Secreted effectors from play critical roles in the interaction with rice to facilitate fungal infection and disease development. -secreted protein MoHrip1 can improve plant defense as an elicitor in vitro, however, its biological function in fungal infection is not clear. In this study, we found that the expression of was significantly induced in the stages of fungal penetration and colonization. Although dispensable for the growth and conidiation, MoHrip1 was necessary for the full virulence of . Deletion of remarkably compromised fungal virulence on rice seedlings and even on rice leaves with wounds. Rice sheath inoculation assay further demonstrated the defects of -deleted mutants on penetration and proliferation in rice cells. Additionally, compared with WT and complementation strain, the inoculation of -deleted mutants induced a higher expression of specific defense related genes and a higher production of specific defensive compounds in rice leaves. These data collectively indicated that MoHrip1 is necessary for fungal penetration and invasive expansion, and further full virulence of rice blast fungus.