In animal cells, nuclear DNA is the target of genotoxins produced by bacterial pathogens that cause genomic mutations eventually leading to apoptosis, senescence, and carcinogenic development. In response to the insult, the DNA damage response (DDR) is activated to ensure lesion repair. Accumulation of DNA breaks is also detected in plants during microbial infection. In this opinion article we propose that phytopathogens can produce DNA-damaging effectors. The recent identification of a functional genotoxin in devastating eukaryotic plant pathogens, such as oomycetes, supports the concept that DNA-damaging effectors may contribute to pathogenicity. Additionally, this raises the question of how plants can perceive these damages and whether this perception can be connected to the plant immune system.

在动物细胞中，核DNA是细菌病原体产生的基因毒素的靶标，这些细菌病原体会导致基因组突变，最终导致细胞凋亡，衰老和致癌性发展。作为对这种侮辱的响应，DNA损伤响应（DDR）被激活以确保病变修复。在微生物感染期间，植物中也检测到DNA断裂的积累。在这篇观点文章中，我们提出植物病原体可以产生破坏DNA的效应子。最近在破坏性的真核植物病原体（例如卵菌）中发现了功能性基因毒素，支持了破坏DNA的效应子可能有助于致病性的概念。另外，这提出了植物如何感知这些损害以及这种感知是否可以与植物免疫系统联系的问题。