Agrobacterium-delivered virulence protein VirE2 is trafficked inside host cells via a myosin XI-K-powered ER/actin network

作者：Yang Qinghua; Li Xiaoyang; Tu Haitao; Pan Shen Q^*

来源：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2017, 114(11): 2982-2987.

DOI：10.1073/pnas.1612098114

• VirE2
• protein trafficking
• myosin
• endoplasmic reticulum
• actin filaments

Agrobacterium tumefaciens causes crown gall tumors on various plants by delivering transferred DNA (T-DNA) and virulence proteins into host plant cells. Under laboratory conditions, the bacterium is widely used as a vector to genetically modify a wide range of organisms, including plants, yeasts, fungi, and algae. Various studies suggest that T-DNA is protected inside host cells by VirE2, one of the virulence proteins. However, it is not clear how Agro-bacterium-delivered factors are trafficked through the cytoplasm. In this study, we monitored the movement of Agrobacterium-delivered VirE2 inside plant cells by using a split-GFP approach in real time. Agrobacterium-delivered VirE2 trafficked via the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and F-actin network inside plant cells. During this process, VirE2 was aggregated as filamentous structures and was present on the cytosolic side of the ER. VirE2 movement was powered bymyosin XI-K. Thus, exogenously produced and delivered VirE2 protein can use the endogenous host ER/actin network for movement inside host cells. The A. tumefaciens pathogen hijacks the conserved host infrastructure for virulence trafficking. Well-conserved infrastructure may be useful for Agrobacterium to target a wide range of recipient cells and achieve a high efficiency of transformation.

• 出版日期2017-3-14