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Concurrent Session

Session: Concurrent Session: Effector Interference Mechanisms

Aphid effectors suppress plant immunity via recruiting defence proteins to processing bodies

Tuesday, July 15, 2025
12:10 - 12:20  
Location: Room M+N

Abstract Text:

Aphids are small insects that use specialized mouthparts and effector proteins to establish long-term relationships with plants. The peach-potato aphid, Myzus persicae, is a generalist that feeds on diverse plant species and transmits numerous pathogens. This study reveals how host-responsive cathepsins B (CathB), exemplified by CathB6 in M. persicae oral secretions, enhance aphid survival by modulating plant immunity. Host-responsive CathB localize to plant processing bodies (p-bodies), cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein granules involved in mRNA storage and decay. Once there, they recruit key immune regulators—EDS1, PAD4, and ADR1—suppressing plant defences. A plant protein, Acd28.9 (Hsp20 family), counteracts CathB activity, modulating plant-aphid interactions. These findings uncover a novel role for p-bodies in plant immunity and identify a plant defence mechanism against aphid infestation.