An aphid effector interacts with a host protein involved in trafficking in a species-specific manner
P. RODRIGUEZ (1), C. Escudero (2), J. Bos (3) (1) James Hutton Institute, United Kingdom; (2) James Hutton Institute / University of Dundee, United Kingdom; (3) James Hutton Institute / University of Dundee, United Kingdom

To elucidate the molecular mechanisms controlling host susceptibility to aphids it is essential to identify and characterize aphid effectors and their host targets. Mp1 is an effector from the generalist aphid species Myzus persicae that contributes to virulence. Using a yeast-two-hybrid approach we found that Mp1 interacts with both potato and Arabidopsis VPS52. These interactions were confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation and co-localization. Confocal microscopy showed that Mp1 interacted with St- and AtVPS52 in vesicle-like structures, which co-localized with pre-vacuolar compartments and autophagosome markers. Host VPS52 protein levels decreased upon M. persicae infestation but not upon Mp1 over-expression, indicating aphids may target VPS52 using complex strategies. We looked into the specificity of the Mp1-VPS52 interaction across different plant and aphid species. Mp1-like proteins from three aphid species unable to infest potato or Arabidopsis did not interact with AtVPS52 or StVPS52. Unlike Mp1, these Mp1-like proteins did not promote virulence on N. benthamiana. We did not detect an interaction of Mp1 with the putative VPS52 ortholog from barley, which is a nonhost to M. persicae. This suggests the Mp1-VPS52 association may be specific to aphid-host interactions. Our data supports a model where aphids deliver effectors inside host cells to interact with host proteins, including those involved in trafficking, and modify their function in a species-specific manner. 

Abstract Number: P7-204
Session Type: Poster