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Poster

Session: Session 1 Presenting Authors at Posters (Odds)

P-003 - A secreted viral peptide acts as a PAMP mimic to trigger effector relocalization and suppress plant immunity

Monday, July 14, 2025
13:30 - 15:15  
Location: Confex Hall 3
Extracellular & Intracellular non-self recognition & signaling

    Presenting Author(s)

  • LM

    Laura Medina-Puche

    Department of Plant Biochemistry, Centre for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP), Eberhard Karls University
    Tubingen, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

    • Author(s)

  • HT

    Huang Tan

    Department of Plant Biochemistry, Centre for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP), Eberhard Karls University
    Tubingen, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

  • SP

    Shaojun Pan

    Department of Plant Biochemistry, Centre for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP), Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany
    Tuebingen, DE, GERMANY

  • ZJ

    Zhihao Jiang

    Department of Plant Biochemistry, Centre for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP), Eberhard Karls University
    Tuebingen, GERMANY

  • CS

    Christoph Sicking

    Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures
    Braunschweig, Niedersachsen, Germany

  • EG

    Elena García-Pérez

    Institute for Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMCP), CSIC-UPV
    Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain

  • BK

    Björn Krenz

    Leibniz Institute DSMZ
    Braunschweig, Niedersachsen, Germany

  • RL

    Rosa Lozano-Durán

    University of Tü​bingen
    Tübingen, GERMANY

The first layer of plant immunity relies on recognizing pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) via pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). Infection by tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) triggers defense, leading to translocation of the viral C4 protein from the plasma membrane (PM) to chloroplasts, where it suppresses salicylic acid-dependent responses. However, how TYLCV activates defense is unclear. Here, we identify a novel open reading frame (ORF) in TYLCV encoding a predicted secreted peptide, which we named Peptide encoded in the Viral Genome (PVG). RNA-seq analysis shows that exogenous PVG application activates plant transcriptional defense responses. PVG is essential for full virulence and both sufficient and required for C4 translocation to chloroplasts. Transgenic tomato plants expressing the chloroplast-localized C4G2A complement PVG deficiency, indicating that the main function of PVG is to direct C4 to this organelle. Strikingly, receptor-associated kinases SOBIR1 and BAK1 as well as one RLP are required for PVG perception. Our findings suggest that PVG acts as a viral PAMP mimic, hijacking PTI to promote virulence by triggering C4 relocalization to its secondary site of action in a timely manner. Notably, we identify similar putative secreted peptides encoded by phylogenetically distant geminiviruses that also direct the relocalization of their cognate C4 proteins, suggesting convergent evolution of PTI co-option.