Lin Borong, Huang Shaozhen, Li Zhiwen, Huang Qiuling, Song Handa, Fang Tianyi, Liao Jinling, Gheysen Godelieve, Zhuo Kan
College of Plant Protection, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
Adv Sci (Weinh). 2025 Mar;12(11):e2412968. doi: 10.1002/advs.202412968. Epub 2025 Jan 30.
Little is known about plant-parasitic animal-derived pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)/ pattern-recognition receptor (PRR) pairs. Additionally, mitochondrial proteins have not previously been reported to be secreted into hosts by pathogens. Here, it is found that the Meloidogyne javanica elongation factor thermo unstable (EF-Tu) (MjEF-Tu) located in the nematode mitochondria is up-regulated and secreted into the host plant during nematode parasitism. MjEF-Tu interacts with the PRR Arabidopsis thaliana EF-Tu receptor (AtEFR), triggering the plant hallmark defence responses mediated by AtEFR. An 18-aa sequence (Nelf18) in the N terminus of the nematode EF-Tu contributes to the immunogenic activity. M. javanica water extract and mitochondrial extract also induce plant immunity sensed by AtEFR, owing to the presence of MjEF-Tu. In addition, Nelf18 enhances plant resistance to nematode, virus, and bacterial infections depending on AtEFR. These findings first demonstrate that mitochondrial proteins from pathogens can be secreted into hosts and function as a cross-kingdom signal and identified the first plant-parasitic animal-derived proteinaceous PAMP/PRR pair, providing novel insights into host-pathogen interactions.
关于植物寄生性动物源病原体相关分子模式(PAMP)/模式识别受体(PRR)对,人们了解甚少。此外,此前尚无线粒体蛋白被病原体分泌到宿主中的报道。在此,研究发现,位于线虫线粒体中的爪哇根结线虫延伸因子热不稳定蛋白(MjEF-Tu)在寄生过程中表达上调并分泌到宿主植物中。MjEF-Tu与PRR拟南芥EF-Tu受体(AtEFR)相互作用,触发由AtEFR介导的植物标志性防御反应。线虫EF-Tu N端的一个18个氨基酸的序列(Nelf18)有助于免疫原活性。由于MjEF-Tu的存在,爪哇根结线虫水提取物和线粒体提取物也能诱导AtEFR感知的植物免疫。此外,Nelf18依赖AtEFR增强植物对线虫、病毒和细菌感染的抗性。这些发现首次证明病原体的线粒体蛋白可分泌到宿主中并作为一种跨界信号发挥作用,同时鉴定出首个植物寄生性动物源蛋白质类PAMP/PRR对,为宿主-病原体相互作用提供了新见解。