The secreted ribonuclease T2 protein FoRnt2 contributes to Fusarium oxysporum virulence

Secreted RNase proteins have been reported from only a few pathogens, and relatively little is known about their biological functions. Fusarium oxysporum is a soilborne fungal pathogen that causes Fusarium wilt, one of the most important diseases on tomato. During the infection of F. oxysporum, some proteins are secreted that modulate host plant immunity and promote pathogen invasion. In this study, we identify an RNase, FoRnt2, from the F. oxysporum secretome that belongs to the ribonuclease T2 family. FoRnt2 possesses an N‐terminal signal peptide and can be secreted from F. oxysporum. FoRnt2 exhibited ribonuclease activity and was able to degrade the host plant total RNA in vitro dependent on the active site residues H80 and H142. Deletion of the FoRnt2 gene reduced fungal virulence but had no obvious effect on mycelial growth and conidial production. The expression of FoRnt2 in tomato significantly enhanced plant susceptibility to pathogens. These data indicate that FoRnt2 is an important contributor to the virulence of F. oxysporum, possibly through the degradation of plant RNA.