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A Bursaphelenchus xylophilus effector, Bx-FAR-1, suppresses plant defense and affects nematode infection of pine trees

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Abstract

Bursaphelenchus xylophilus is an economically important pathogen that has caused serious damage to pine forests. Fatty acid and retinol-binding proteins (FARs) are nematode-specific proteins. One FAR gene, Bx-FAR-1, was identified from the transcriptome of B. xylophilus as a putative effector. It was upregulated in both highly and weakly virulent isolates in early infection stages. Transient expression assays showed that Bx-FAR-1 inhibited BAX- and INF1-induced cell death in Nicotiana benthamiana when secreted into the intracellular site. Bx-FAR-1 was expressed in the glandular tissues, intestines, and seminal vesicles of nematodes by in situ hybridization. Silencing Bx-FAR-1 via in vitro RNA interference attenuated the reproductive ability and pathogenicity of B. xylophilus as well as increased the expression of the pathogenesis-related gene 6 and JA biosynthesis gene LOX-5 (lipoxygenase-5) in pine trees. These results suggest that Bx-FAR-1 suppresses the plant immune response in the N. benthamiana intracellular site and may contribute to the pathogenicity of B. xylophilus in the early infection stages.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Prof. Yuanchao Wang (Nanjing Agricultural University) for providing the vector pGR107 and the seeds of Nicotiana benthamiana.

Funding

This work was supported by the grants from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2018YFD0600203) and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).

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  1. Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China

    Yu Li, Long-Jiao HU, Xiao-Qin Wu & Jian-Ren Ye

  2. Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Prevention and Management of Invasive Species, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China

    Yu Li, Long-Jiao HU, Xiao-Qin Wu & Jian-Ren Ye

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  1. Yu Li
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  2. Long-Jiao HU
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Correspondence to Xiao-Qin Wu.

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Li, Y., HU, LJ., Wu, XQ. et al. A Bursaphelenchus xylophilus effector, Bx-FAR-1, suppresses plant defense and affects nematode infection of pine trees. Eur J Plant Pathol 157, 637–650 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10658-020-02031-8

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