P-315 - EV mediated cross-kingdom RNA trafficking between plants and fungal pathogens

Monday, July 14, 2025

13:30 - 15:15

Location: Confex Hall 3

RNA on the move: Advances in Cross-Species communiation &Translational Research

Presenting Author(s)

BH

Baoye He

Assistant Professor
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas, United States

Author(s)

SW

Shumei Wang

University of Dundee
Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom
Ac

Angela chen

Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan, United States
HW

Huaitong Wu

University of California, Riverside
Riverside, California, United States
QC

Qiang Cai

Wuhan University
Wuhan, Hubei, China (People's Republic)
HJ

Hailing Jin, PhD (she/her/hers)

University of California
Riverside, California, United States

Cross-kingdom RNA trafficking between plants and fungal pathogens is a critical process that regulates gene expression in both organisms during infection. We demonstrate that extracellular vesicles (EVs) serve as a means for both plants and fungal pathogens to exchange RNA with their respective partners. Through RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis, we identified both small RNAs (sRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in plant EVs, which can be transferred to the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea. The transferred plant sRNAs can silence fungal virulence-related genes, while the transferred plant mRNAs can be translated into proteins that modulate fungal virulence and suppress infection. Additionally, we identified a group of plant RNA-binding proteins that selectively bind and load sRNAs into plant EVs. Conversely, B. cinerea EVs can deliver fungal sRNAs into plant cells, suppressing plant immune-related gene expression and enhancing infection. We further demonstrated that B. cinerea EVs are internalized by plant cells through clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). These findings could have significant implications for the development of novel plant protection solutions.