Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms on cell-cell communication between plants and pathogens

• Project/Area Number: 19K24688
• Research Category: Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research (Home-Returning Researcher Development Research)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Biological Sciences
• Research Institution: Setsunan University
• Principal Investigator: Tanaka Shigeyuki 摂南大学, 農学部, 准教授 (30785481)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 芳本 玲 摂南大学, 農学部, 准教授 (70595652)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2025-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2024)
• Budget Amount: ¥55,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥43,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥12,900,000)
• Keywords: 細胞外小胞 / 植物病原菌 / エフェクタータンパク質 / ノンコーディングRNA / エクソソーム / 活物寄生菌 / lincRNA / トウモロコシ黒穂病菌 / 膜タンパク質 / 糸状菌 / 病原性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Plant pathogenic fungi induce physiological changes in plant cells using effector proteins during infection. However, the mechanism by which effector proteins cross the plant cell membrane and are transported into the cell was unknown. In this study, we revealed that the corn smut fungus secretes extracellular vesicles that contain effector proteins and long non-coding RNA. It was also suggested that the extracellular vesicles deliver their contents into the cell via membrane fusion with the plant cell membrane. Furthermore, we obtained candidates for the integrin-like protein ILP1 on the extracellular vesicle membrane, and a secreted plant protein with a PLAT domain that interacts with ILP1.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は植物病原糸状菌が細胞外小胞（EVs）を介してエフェクタータンパク質や長鎖ノンコーディングRNAを植物細胞内に送達するという新規な感染戦略を明らかにし、植物-病原体間の相互作用の理解を大きく前進させる。また、ILP1やこれと相互作用する植物タンパク質の同定は、分子認識機構の解明につながる。こうした感染機構の解明により、EVや関連分子を標的とした新たな病害防除法の開発が可能となり、作物の安定生産や食料安全保障の強化に貢献できる。

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] マックスプランク研究所(ドイツ)
• [Journal Article] Novel Secreted Effectors Conserved Among Smut Fungi Contribute to the Virulence of <i>Ustilago maydis</i> (2024)
  • Author(s): Schuster M, Schweizer G, Reissmann S, Happel P, Assmann D, Roessel N, Gueldener U, Mannhaupt G, Ludwig N, Winterberg S, Pellegrin C, Tanaka S, Vincon V, Presti LL, Wang L, Bender L, Gonzalez C, Vranes M, Kaemper J, Seong K, Krasileva K, Kahmann R.
  • Journal Title: Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions Volume: 37 Issue: 3 Pages: 250-263
  • DOI: 10.1094/mpmi-09-23-0139-fi
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Mating Types of <i>Ustilago esculenta</i> Infecting <i>Zizania latifolia</i> Cultivars in Japan Are Biased towards MAT-2 and MAT-3 (2023)
  • Author(s): Chigira Yuka、Sasaki Nobumitsu、Komatsu Ken、Mashimo Kouji、Tanaka Shigeyuki、Numamoto Minori、Moriyama Hiromitsu、Motobayashi Takashi
  • Journal Title: Microbes and Environments Volume: 38 Issue: 3 Pages: n/a
  • DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.ME23034
  • ISSN: 1342-6311, 1347-4405
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] 4.5SH RNA counteracts deleterious exonization of SINE B1 in mice (2023)
  • Author(s): Yoshimoto Rei、Nakayama Yuta、Nomura Ikuko、Yamamoto Ikuko、Nakagawa Yumeka、Tanaka Shigeyuki、Kurihara Misuzu、Suzuki Yu、Kobayashi Takehiko、Kozuka-Hata Hiroko、Oyama Masaaki、Mito Mari、Iwasaki Shintaro、Yamazaki Tomohiro、Hirose Tetsuro、Araki Kimi、Nakagawa Shinichi
  • Journal Title: Molecular Cell Volume: 83 Issue: 24 Pages: 4479-4493
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.11.019
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] The production and secretion of tRNA-derived RNA fragments in the corn smut fungus Ustilago maydis (2022)
  • Author(s): Yoshimoto Rei、Ishida Fumiko、Yamaguchi Miyuki、Tanaka Shigeyuki
  • Journal Title: Frontiers in Fungal Biology Volume: 3 Pages: 49-49
  • DOI: 10.3389/ffunb.2022.958798
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
• [Journal Article] Cell wall-associated effectors of plant-colonizing fungi (2021)
  • Author(s): Shigeyuki Tanaka, Regine Kahmann
  • Journal Title: Mycologia Volume: 113 Issue: 2 Pages: 247-260
  • DOI: 10.1080/00275514.2020.1831293
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] The functionally conserved effector Stal is a fungal cell wall protein required for virulence in Ustilago maydis (2020)
  • Author(s): Shigeyuki Tanaka, Isabelle Gollin, Nicole Rössel, Regine Kahmann
  • Journal Title: New Phytologist Volume: 227 Issue: 1 Pages: 185-199
  • DOI: 10.1111/nph.16508
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Functional analysis of secreted long non-coding RNAs contributing to the virulence of the corn smut fungus, Ustilago maydis. (2025)
  • Author(s): You Tanaka, Hinata Ohtani, Fumiko Ishida, Miyuki Yamaguchi, Rei Yoshimoto, Shigeyuki Tanaka
  • Organizer: 17th European Conference on Fungal Genetics
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Phyllospheric non-phytopathogenic bacteria promotes the virulence of the Brassicaceae anthracnose fungus Colletotrichum higginsianum. (2025)
  • Author(s): Kaho Tanaka, Yudai Hayashi, Sakura Yamazaki, Chikako Tanaka, Fumiko Ishida, Miyuki Yamaguchi, Norio Takeshita, Shigeyuki Tanaka
  • Organizer: 17th European Conference on Fungal Genetics
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] トウモロコシ黒穂病菌の細胞外小胞を介して分泌されるlncRNA は、宿主植物の LSm4 タンパク質と結合する (2025)
  • Author(s): 田中瑶、大谷ひなた、石田史子、山口美幸、芳本玲、田中茂幸
  • Organizer: 日本植物生理学会
• [Presentation] トウモロコシ黒穂病菌の病原性に関わる分泌型lncRNAの同定と機能解析 (2025)
  • Author(s): 田中瑶、大谷ひなた、石田史子、山口美幸、芳本玲、田中茂幸
  • Organizer: 日本植物病理学会
• [Presentation] 植物葉圏における植物微生物相互作用 (2024)
  • Author(s): 田中茂幸
  • Organizer: 植物感染生理談話会
  • Invited
• [Presentation] トウモロコシ黒穂病菌の病原性に関わる分泌型lncRNAの同定と機能解析 (2024)
  • Author(s): 田中瑶、大谷ひなた、石田史子、山口美幸、芳本玲、田中茂幸
  • Organizer: 糸状菌分子生物学研究会
• [Presentation] 植物病原糸状菌が分泌する細胞外小胞が寄生に果たす役割 (2023)
  • Author(s): 田中茂幸
  • Organizer: 日本生化学会
  • Invited
• [Presentation] トウモロコシ黒穂病菌Ustilago maydisの病原性に関わるlncRNAの同定 (2023)
  • Author(s): 大谷ひなた、石田史子、山口美幸、芳本玲、田中茂幸
  • Organizer: 日本植物病理学会
• [Presentation] Molecular basis of plant cellular uptake of extracellular vesicles secreted by biotrophic pathogen Ustilago maydis (2023)
  • Author(s): Fumiko Ishida, Miyuki Yamaguchi, Chikako Tanaka, Rei Yoshimoto, Shigeyuki Tanaka
  • Organizer: 16th European Conference on Fungal Genetics
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] トウモロコシ黒穂病菌が分泌する細胞外小胞に含まれる膜タンパク質ILP1の機能解析 (2023)
  • Author(s): 石田史子・山口美幸・田中智佳子・田中茂幸
  • Organizer: 日本植物病理学会
• [Presentation] トウモロコシ黒穂病菌におけるtRNA由来RNA断片の生成と分泌 (2022)
  • Author(s): 芳本玲，石田史子，山口美幸，田中茂幸
  • Organizer: 糸状菌分子生物学研究会
• [Presentation] トウモロコシ黒穂病菌が分泌する細胞外小胞の動態と内容物の解析 (2022)
  • Author(s): 芳本玲・石田史子・山口美幸・田中智佳子・田中茂幸
  • Organizer: 日本植物病理学会全国大会
• [Presentation] トウモロコシ黒穂病菌が分泌する細胞外小胞に含まれるノンコーディングRNA (2021)
  • Author(s): 芳本玲、田中茂幸
  • Organizer: 日本植物病理学会全国大会
• [Book] アグリバイオ 2022年7月号 (2022)
  • Author(s): 田中茂幸
  • Total Pages: 5
  • Publisher: 北隆館
• [Remarks] ＜黒穂病菌が細胞外にRNA分泌＞解明 トウモロコシ 防除薬剤の新たな標的として注目
  • URL: https://www.setsunan.ac.jp/news/detail.html?id=5708
• [Remarks] 研究室HP
  • URL: https://www.setsunan.ac.jp/~pemlab303/
• [Remarks] 研究室HP
  • URL: http://www.setsunan.ac.jp/~pemlab303/
• [Funded Workshop] International symposium on sustainable crop production and biosciences (2023)