Reactive Oxygen Species in Host Plant Are Required for an Early Defense Response against Attack of Stagonospora nodorum Berk. Necrotrophic Effectors SnTox

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a central role in plant immune responses. The most important virulence factors of the Stagonospora nodorum Berk. are multiple fungal necrotrophic effectors (NEs) (SnTox) that affect the redox-status and cause necrosis and/or chlorosis in wheat lines possessing dominant susceptibility genes (Snn). However, the effect of NEs on ROS generation at the early stages of infection has not been studied. We studied the early stage of infection of various wheat genotypes with S nodorum isolates -Sn4VD, SnB, and Sn9MN, carrying a different set of NE genes. Our results indicate that all three NEs of SnToxA, SnTox1, SnTox3 significantly contributed to cause disease, and the virulence of the isolates depended on their differential expression in plants (Triticum aestivum L.). The Tsn1–SnToxA, Snn1–SnTox1and Snn3–SnTox3 interactions played an important role in inhibition ROS production at the initial stage of infection. The Snn3–SnTox3 inhibited ROS production in wheat by affecting NADPH-oxidases, peroxidases, superoxide dismutase and catalase. The Tsn1–SnToxA inhibited ROS production in wheat by affecting peroxidases and catalase. The Snn1–SnTox1 inhibited the production of ROS in wheat by mainly affecting a peroxidase. Collectively, these results show that the inverse gene-for gene interactions between effector of pathogen and product of host sensitivity gene suppress the host’s own PAMP-triggered immunity pathway, resulting in NE-triggered susceptibility (NETS). These results are fundamentally changing our understanding of the development of this economical important wheat disease.