A fungal nuclease effector subverts the chloroplast genome and triggers cell death to promote infection

Authors

• Jintao Wang, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
• Xinyu Liu, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
• Xiu Wu, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
• Zhao Hu, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
• Chang’an Ji, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
• Lei Su, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
• Xinhua Zhang, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
• Chen Chen, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
• Jiangtao Liu, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
• Jiexiong Hu, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
• Zhixiang Yang, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
• Gang Li, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
• Haifeng Zhang, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
• Muxing Liu, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
• Leiyun Yang, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
• Ping Wang, LSU Health Sciences Center - New OrleansFollow
• Zhengguang Zhang, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-13-2026

Publication Title

Nature Plants

Abstract

The hemibiotrophic fungus Magnaporthe oryzae causes rice blast, a devastating plant disease, by transitioning from biotrophic to necrotrophic growth, which triggers host cell death. This trophic shift is essential for nutrient acquisition and disease progression, culminating in conidiation. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this transition are not well understood. Here, by screening 298 candidate effector proteins upregulated during late infection stages, we identified six necrotrophic effectors (NEEs) from M. oryzae, with MoNee6 exhibiting a particularly important role in virulence. MoNee6 functions as a nuclease that specifically localizes to rice chloroplasts and degrades chloroplast DNA, directly inducing host cell death. Nevertheless, MoNee6 is unstable within the chloroplast and is degraded by the rice chloroplast caseinolytic protease (Clp). To improve host resistance, we engineered OsClpP1 as a nuclear-encoded, chloroplast-targeted protein by fusing it to a chloroplast transit peptide, thereby enabling its expression independent of the native chloroplast-genome-encoded function. This modification enhanced Clp-mediated degradation of MoNee6 and substantially reduced the severity of rice blast. Our findings reveal a previously unrecognized interaction between an effector and the chloroplast that drives the biotrophic-to-necrotrophic transition, and they demonstrate an effective strategy for engineering chloroplast-targeted defence mechanisms against M. oryzae.

First Page

847

Last Page

862

PubMed ID

41975123

Volume

12

Issue

4

Rights

© 2026 Springer Nature Limited

Recommended Citation

Wang, Jintao; Liu, Xinyu; Wu, Xiu; Hu, Zhao; Ji, Chang’an; Su, Lei; Zhang, Xinhua; Chen, Chen; Liu, Jiangtao; Hu, Jiexiong; Yang, Zhixiang; Li, Gang; Zhang, Haifeng; Liu, Muxing; Yang, Leiyun; Wang, Ping; and Zhang, Zhengguang, "A fungal nuclease effector subverts the chloroplast genome and triggers cell death to promote infection" (2026). School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications. 583.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/sogs_facpubs/583
10.1038/s41477-026-02276-x