RNase III nucleases from diverse kingdoms serve as antiviral effectors

Elimination of antiviral defense by viral RNase III.

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is an important subsistence and famine reserve crop grown in developing countries where Sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV; Closteroviridae), a single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) crinivirus, synergizes unrelated viruses in co-infected sweet potato plants. The most severe disease and yield losses are caused by co-infection with SPCSV and a potyvirus, Sweet potato f...

Helicases in Antiviral Immunity: Dual Properties as Sensors and Effectors.

Many helicases have a unique ability to couple cognate RNA binding to ATP hydrolysis, which can induce a large conformational change that affects its interaction with RNA, position along RNA, or oligomeric state. A growing number of these helicases contribute to the innate immune system, either as sensors that detect foreign nucleic acids and/or as effectors that directly participate in the cle...

Pseudomonas type-III effectors

Convergent targeting of a common host protein-network by pathogen effectors from three kingdoms of life.

While conceptual principles governing plant immunity are becoming clear, its systems-level organization and the evolutionary dynamic of the host-pathogen interface are still obscure. We generated a systematic protein-protein interaction network of virulence effectors from the ascomycete pathogen Golovinomyces orontii and Arabidopsis thaliana host proteins. We combined this data set with corresp...

Phytopathogen type III effectors as probes of biological systems

Bacterial phytopathogens utilize a myriad of virulence factors to modulate their plant hosts in order to promote successful pathogenesis. One potent virulence strategy is to inject these virulence proteins into plant cells via the type III secretion system. Characterizing the host targets and the molecular mechanisms of type III secreted proteins, known as effectors, has illuminated our underst...