# A bacterial effector protein modulates host cell-to-cell communication

> **NIH NIH R00** · IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $249,000

## Abstract

Project Summary
Cell-to-cell communication is crucial for growth and development as well as stress adaption in
multicellular organisms. Symplastic transport of signaling molecules between plant cells is mediated by
membrane-lined channels termed plasmodesmata (PD), whereas gap junctions play similar roles in
mammals. Although pathogenic bacteria infect multicellular organisms, it is unclear whether pathogenic
bacteria exploit host cell-to-cell communication system to promote bacterial multiplication. To study host-
pathogen interactions, I explore Arabidopsis-Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000
pathosystem. Typically, almost all phytopathogenic bacteria are extracellular pathogen, including Pst
DC3000. Bacterial pathogens are recognized by plants via pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) on the
plasma membrane (PM) and nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR)-type receptors inside
the cell, resulting in defense activation. To overcome plant defense, Pst DC3000 injects 36 virulence
effector proteins into host cells to exert their pathogenic activities. Using live cell imaging, I discovered
that Pst DC3000 effector protein HopO1-1, an active ADP-ribosyltransferase, is targeted to the PD in
Arabidopsis. Ectopic expression of HopO1-1 in Arabidopsis leads to an increase in PD-dependent
molecular flux between plant cells. HopO1-1 is physically associated with Arabidopsis PD-located
proteins (PDLP5 and PDLP7), in which expression of PDLP5 is upregulated by P. syringae infection and
involved in plant innate immunity. To my knowledge, HopO1-1 is the first bacterial effector to be identified
as a PD-targeted protein. The finding raises the exciting possibility that bacterial pathogens deliver
effectors such as HopO1-1 to modulate host PD function, presumably by ADP-ribosylating PDLP5/7, to
facilitate bacterial spread and multiplication. The mentored phase of this proposed work will be
conducted at Michigan State University under the guidance of Dr. Sheng Yang He. During this phase, I
plan to (i) characterize the mode of action of HopO1-1 in modulating the host PD, (ii) demonstrate the
PD-dependent trafficking of bacterial effectors from the infected cells to the neighboring cells, and (iii)
establish systems in studying the dynamic host-microbe interactions at the initial infection sites. Dr. He
will provide specific training in microbiology and plant-microbe interactions as well as guidance toward
becoming an independent researcher. In the independent phase, I plan to study (i) the effect of HopO1-1
in regulating PD aperture by controlling plant callose homeostasis, (ii) the effect of HopO1-1 in the
movement of plant signaling molecules, and (iii) the functional role of HopO1-1 on creating bacterial
infection zones to establish the initial colonization in host tissues. The proposed project has potential in
carving out a new research topic in bacterial pathogenesis and establishing new experimental protocols
in the study of cell-autono...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9834944
- **Project number:** 5R00GM115766-03
- **Recipient organization:** IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Kyaw Aung
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $249,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-15 → 2021-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9834944

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9834944, A bacterial effector protein modulates host cell-to-cell communication (5R00GM115766-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9834944. Licensed CC0.

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