The nuclear effector MoHTR3 of Magnaporthe oryzae modulates host defence signalling in the biotrophic stage of rice infection

Fungal effectors play a pivotal role in suppressing the host defence system, and their evolution is highly dynamic. By comparative sequence analysis of plant‐pathogenic fungi and Magnaporthe oryzae, we identified the small secreted C(2)H(2) zinc finger protein MoHTR3. MoHTR3 exhibited high conservation in M. oryzae strains but low conservation among other plant‐pathogenic fungi, suggesting an emerging evolutionary selection process. MoHTR3 is exclusively expressed in the biotrophic stage of fungal invasion, and the encoded protein localizes to the biotrophic interfacial complex (BIC) and the host cell nucleus. The signal peptide crucial for MoHTR3′ secretion to the BIC and the protein section required for its translocation to the nucleus were both identified by a functional protein domain study. The host‐nuclear localization of MoHTR3 suggests a function as a transcriptional modulator of host defence gene induction. After ΔMohtr3 infection, the expression of jasmonic acid‐ and ethylene‐associated genes was diminished in rice, in contrast to when the MoHTR3‐overexpressing strain (MoHTR3ox) was applied. The transcript levels of salicylic acid‐ and defence‐related genes were also affected after ΔMohtr3 and MoHTR3ox application. In pathogenicity assays, ΔMohtr3 was indistinguishable from the wild type. However, MoHTR3ox‐infected plants showed diminished lesion formation and hydrogen peroxide accumulation, accompanied by a decrease in susceptibility, suggesting that the MoHTR3‐induced manipulation of host cells affects host–pathogen interaction. MoHTR3 emphasizes the role of the host nucleus as a critical target for the pathogen‐driven manipulation of host defence mechanisms and underscores the ongoing evolution of rice blast's arms race.