A stripe rust protein stabilizes a wheat enzyme that helps the disease develop

The effector Pst18363 from the wheat stripe rust pathogen may suppress plant immunity by stabilizing the wheat protein TaNUDX23.

• Pst18363 was identified as an effector that suppresses cell death in both Nicotiana benthamiana and wheat.
• Knocking down Pst18363 expression significantly reduced rust pustule formation, indicating its role as a pathogenicity factor.
• TaNUDX23 interacts with Pst18363 and functions as a negative regulator of plant defense.
• Silencing TaNUDX23 resulted in increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in wheat during Pst infection.
• Overexpression of TaNUDX23 suppressed ROS accumulation in Arabidopsis, suggesting its role in modulating immune responses.
• Pst18363 appears to facilitate Pst infection by stabilizing TaNUDX23, which in turn suppresses ROS accumulation.

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