PREreviews of “Secreted TAL effectors protect symbiotic bacteria from entrapment within fungal hyphae”

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Secreted TAL effectors protect symbiotic bacteria from entrapment within fungal hyphae

by Ingrid Richter, Zerrin Uzum, Claire E. Stanley, Nadine Moebius, Timothy P. Stinear, Sacha J. Pidot, Iuliia Ferling, Falk Hillmann, and Christian Hertweck

Posted: March 29, 2020
Server: bioRxiv
DOI: 10.1101/2020.03.28.013177

Abstract

The association of the agriculturally significant phytopathogenic fungusRhizopus microsporuswith the bacterial endosymbiontBurkholderia rhizoxinicais a remarkable example of bacteria controlling host physiology and reproduction. Here, we show that a group of transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) calledBurkholderiaTALE-like proteins (BATs) fromB. rhizoxinicaare essential for the establishment of the symbiosis. Mutants lacking BAT proteins are unable to induce host sporulation. Utilising novel microfluidic devices in combination with fluorescence microscopy we observed the accumulation of BAT-deficient mutants in specific fungal side-hyphae with accompanying increased fungal re-infection. High-resolution live imaging revealed septa biogenesis at the base of infected hyphae leading to compartmental trapping of BATdeficient endobacteria. Trapped endosymbionts showed reduced intracellular survival, suggesting a protective response from the fungal host against bacteria lacking specific effectors. These findings underscore the involvement of BAT proteins in maintaining a balance between mutualism and antagonism in bacterial-fungal interactions and provide deeper insights into the dynamic interactions between bacteria and eukaryotes.

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PREreview by Morgan Carter

Authored by Morgan Carter

Morgan Carter and Adam Bogdanove, Section of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Richter and colleagues investigate the role of TAL effector-like proteins in a bacterial-fungal symbiosis between Burkholderia (Mycetohabitans) rhizoxinica and Rhizopus …

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PREreviews of Secreted TAL effectors protect symbiotic bacteria from entrapment within fungal hyphae

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