近日，南京农业大学植物保护学院卵菌病害课题组在国际植物学顶级刊物The Plant Cell（五年期影响因子10.65）最新一期上以封面文章的形式发表了关于大豆疫霉菌毒性蛋白大规模功能解析的重要文章Transcriptional Programming and Functional Interactions within the Phytophthora sojae RXLR Effector Repertoire, Plant Cell， 本论文以南京农业大学为第一署名单位、本校王群青博士为第一作者、王源超教授为通讯作者。郑小波教授、窦道龙教授、张正光教授和弗吉尼亚生物信息学研究所的Brett Tyler教授等人也参与了本研究。
卵菌包括疫霉、霜霉和腐霉等几百种重要病原菌，可以侵染几千种动物和植物，仅其中的疫霉菌每年给全球农业生产造成的直接损失超过100多亿美元。种植抗病品种是控制卵菌病害最有效的手段，但是由于该类病原菌田间变异速度快，经常导致作物品种抗性的丧失，因此卵菌病害一直是农业生产和生态系统的主要生物灾害之一。卵菌致病性变异的主要原因是毒性蛋白的快速变异，因此了解毒性蛋白的作用机理和变异趋势是利用作物抗病品种的重要基础，也是植物病理学家关注的热点问题之一。我院卵菌病害课题组以我国大豆生产上的主要病害大豆疫霉根腐病为研究对象，在国际上首次综合应用转录组学、比较基因组学和功能基因组学有关研究手段，针对大豆疫霉菌基因组中含有的RxLR毒性分泌蛋白进行了大规模的解析，明确了其中部分重要分泌蛋白在功能和时空上是如何相互协作，从而共同帮助病原菌顺利侵染植物的过程。本研究对认识卵菌病害的发病机制、利用抗病基因控制卵菌病害具有重要的指导价值。本论文在审稿过程中得到了多名审稿人以及Plant Cell主编的好评，并最终以封面文章的形式发表。
南京农业大学卵菌病害研究组有30多年的积累，经过陆家云教授、郑小波教授等几代科学家的努力，在疫霉菌的分类、生殖行为、分子检测、趋化性以及与植物互作的功能基因组等方面进行了长期系统的研究，与美国、荷兰、加拿大、英国、法国、澳大利亚以及国内多个研究组有着长期的合作交流，近年来在国家公益性行业科研专项、国家大豆产业技术体系、973计划和自然科学基金等项目的资助下，在国际生命科学重要杂志Science、Plant Cell、New Phytologist、Molecular Plant-microbe Interaction、Molecular Plant Pathology、Eukaryotic Cell、Fungal Genetics and Biology、Plos one和Phytopathology等刊物上发表了30余篇高水平研究论文。该团队也入选2011年度江苏省高校优秀科技创新团队。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1105/tpc.111.086082
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Transcriptional Programming and Functional Interactions within the Phytophthora sojae RXLR Effector Repertoire
Qunqing Wanga, Changzhi Hana, Adriana O. Ferreirab, Xiaoli Yua, Wenwu Yea, Sucheta Tripathyb, Shiv D. Kaleb, Biao Gub,c, Yuting Shenga, Yangyang Suia, Xiaoli Wanga, Zhengguang Zhanga, Baoping Chenga, Suomeng Donga, Weixing Shanc, Xiaobo Zhenga,d, Daolong Doua,b,d, Brett M. Tylerb,1 and Yuanchao Wanga,d,1,2
The genome of the soybean pathogen Phytophthora sojae contains nearly 400 genes encoding candidate effector proteins carrying the host cell entry motif RXLR-dEER. Here, we report a broad survey of the transcription, variation, and functions of a large sample of the P. sojae candidate effectors. Forty-five (12%) effector genes showed high levels of polymorphism among P. sojae isolates and significant evidence for positive selection. Of 169 effectors tested, most could suppress programmed cell death triggered by BAX, effectors, and/or the PAMP INF1, while several triggered cell death themselves. Among the most strongly expressed effectors, one immediate-early class was highly expressed even prior to infection and was further induced 2- to 10-fold following infection. A second early class, including several that triggered cell death, was weakly expressed prior to infection but induced 20- to 120-fold during the first 12 h of infection. The most strongly expressed immediate-early effectors could suppress the cell death triggered by several early effectors, and most early effectors could suppress INF1-triggered cell death, suggesting the two classes of effectors may target different functional branches of the defense response. In support of this hypothesis, misexpression of key immediate-early and early effectors severely reduced the virulence of P. sojae transformants
