Characterization of Putative Virulence Factor 11 (PVF11) via Yeast Two-Hybrid Interaction and Phenotypic Analysis.

In this study, was selected among 20 candidate pathogenesis-related genes in based on its effect on virulence to rice. PVF11 was found to interact with several plant defense-related WRKY proteins as evidenced through yeast-two hybrid analysis (Y2H). Moreover, PVF11 showed interactions with abiotic and biotic stress response-related rice proteins, as shown by genome-wide Y2H screening employing PVF11 and a cDNA library from infected rice. To confirm the effect of PVF11 on virulence, assays were conducted at different stages of rice growth. As a result, a PVF11-defective mutant showed reduced virulence in rice seedlings and stems but not in rice panicles, indicating that PVF11 involvement in virulence in rice is stage-dependent.