Filamentous plant pathogens cause devastating diseases of crops. Phytophthora infestans, the Irish potato famine pathogen, facilitates disease on its hosts by delivering effector proteins that modulate host cell processes to the benefit of the parasi ...
Filamentous plant pathogens cause devastating diseases of crops. Phytophthora infestans, the Irish potato famine pathogen, facilitates disease on its hosts by delivering effector proteins that modulate host cell processes to the benefit of the parasite, a strategy used by many biotrophic plant pathogens. The Phytophthora infestans RXLR-type effector PexRD54 binds potato ATG8 via its ATG8 family-interacting motif (AIM) and perturbs host-selective autophagy. The N-terminal region of PexRD54 contains 5 tandem WY domains. The WY domain is a conserved structural unit consisting of three alpha-helices and two characteristic hydrophobic amino acids, frequently W (Trp) and Y (Tyr), which contribute to a stable hydrophobic core. Deletion analysis show that the WY domains of PexRD54 are dispensable for ATG8CL binding suggesting an alternative function for these domains [1].
