Structural analysis of effector proteins from plant pathogens

Abstract

Pathogens deliver a number of effector proteins into plant cells to suppress immune responses. Resistant plants are able to recognize the effectors and induce strong immune responses including the oxidative burst and programmed cell death. Although many genes involved in plant-pathogen interactions have been identified, little is known about the mechanisms of effector recognition and subsequent signal transduction. Because the function of effectors is often not predictable from the amino acid sequences, it is difficult to study the mechanism of interaction between effectors and plant proteins and how effectors suppress immune responses. To elucidate the molecular basis of the interactions, we screened 261 proteins for their solubility and performed protein structural analyses. We will report the structural features of Phytophthora-derived effector proteins and their putative function.