Stripe rust fungus bypasses wheat’s phase separation-based immune defense to help infection

The stripe rust fungus deploys effector Hasp170 to disrupt wheat immunity by targeting a specific protein involved in liquid-liquid phase separation.

• Hasp170 targets the disordered region of the wheat protein TaPSTE, which is essential for forming biomolecular condensates.
• TaPSTE normally recruits a transcription factor that activates genes crucial for disease resistance.
• By impairing the formation of these condensates, Hasp170 prevents the recruitment of the transcription factor, weakening the plant's immune response.
• This interaction illustrates how pathogens may manipulate host cellular processes to evade immune detection.

Simplified