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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2026, Vol. 25 Issue (4): 1556-1565    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2025.02.030
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A Fusarium pseudograminearum secreted protein, Fp00392, is a major virulence factor during infection and identified as a PAMP

Qian Yang1, 2#, Jing Wang1, 2, Jixiang Sun1, 2, Sijing Gao1, 2, Hang Zheng1, 2, Yuemin Pan1, 2#

1 Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China

2 Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Crop Integrated Pest Management, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China

 Highlights 

The Fusarium pseudograminearum secreted protein Fp00392 can activate the ROS burst, callose deposition, and the upregulation of defense-related genes in Nicotiana benthamiana.
Fp00392 can induce plant immune response as a PAMP.  
Fp00392 promotes F. pseudograminearum infection as a virulence factor.

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摘要  

小麦茎基腐病主要病原菌 ——假禾谷镰孢在侵染寄主过程中会向寄主体内分泌大量蛋白,以调节寄主的免疫反应或增强其致病性。本研究发现一个能够在本氏烟草叶片中诱导细胞死亡的假禾谷镰孢分泌蛋白 Fp00392,并发现纯化的 Fp00392 蛋白在本氏烟草中能够激活活性氧爆发、胼胝质沉积以及防御相关基因的上调。另外,在本氏烟草中的VIGS 实验表明,Fp00392 引发的细胞死亡不依赖 BAK1 和 SOBIR1。而且,Fp00392 的转录水平在假禾谷镰孢侵染期间显著上调。敲除 Fp00392 能显著减弱假禾谷镰孢对小麦胚芽鞘的致病性,并且会影响假禾谷镰孢对H2O2 和刚果红的敏感性。总体来说,这些结果表明 Fp00392 不仅能作为 PAMP分子以诱导植物免疫反应,还能作为致病因子促进假禾谷镰孢对小麦的侵染。



Abstract  

As a main causal agent of wheat crown rot, Fusarium pseudograminearum secrets numerous proteins into the host during the infection process to regulate host immune responses and contribute to the virulence of F. pseudograminearum.  In this study, the secreted protein Fp00392 from F. pseudograminearum was found to trigger cell death in Nicotiana benthamiana.  Purified Fp00392 protein could activate the ROS burst, callose deposition, and the upregulation of defense-related genes in N. benthamiana.  Moreover, the VIGS assay in N. benthamiana showed that Fp00392-triggered cell death is independent of BAK1 and SOBIR1.  Furthermore, the transcript level of Fp00392 was significantly induced during F. pseudograminearum infection.  Knockout of Fp00392 significantly attenuated the pathogenicity of F. pseudograminearum on wheat coleoptiles.  Deletion of Fp00392 affected the sensitivity of F. pseudograminearum to H2O2 and Congo Red.  Overall, these results indicate that Fp00392 can not only induce plant immune response as a PAMP, but it can also promote F. pseudograminearum infection as a virulence factor.

Keywords:  Fusarium pseudograminearum       PAMP        cell death        virulence  
Received: 04 November 2024   Accepted: 26 January 2025 Online: 18 February 2025  
Fund: 

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32102153), the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Higher Education Institutions, China (2023AH040139) and the Talent Research Project of Anhui Agricultural University, China (rc342218).

About author:  #Correspondence Yuemin Pan, E-mail: panyuemin2008@163.com; Qian Yang, E-mail: y.qwm@163.com

Cite this article: 

Qian Yang, Jing Wang, Jixiang Sun, Sijing Gao, Hang Zheng, Yuemin Pan. 2026. A Fusarium pseudograminearum secreted protein, Fp00392, is a major virulence factor during infection and identified as a PAMP. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 25(4): 1556-1565.

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