Arabidopsis thaliana ACTIN DEPOLYMERIZING FACTORs are novel susceptibility factors for Colletotrichum higginsianum
- 1Osaka Metropolitan University
Abstract
Colletotrichum higginsianum (Ch) is a hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen that infects Brassicaceae plants, including Arabidopsis thaliana. The molecular mechanisms underlying the Ch-A. thaliana interaction are not fully understood. Particularly, the susceptibility factor against Ch infection remains to be determined. Here, we report that A. thaliana ACTIN DEPOLYMERIZING FACTORs (ADFs), ancient proteins that regulate the organization and dynamics of actin filaments (AFs), function as susceptibility factors during Ch infection. Among 11 ADFs encoded in A. thaliana genome, subclass I ADFs that include ADF1, -2, -3, and -4, express throughout the plant. We found that knockout mutant of ADF4 and transgenic plants in which the expression of all of subclass I members is suppressed (ADF1-4Ri) exhibited increased resistance to Ch. Cytological analyses revealed that both Ch penetration and secondary hyphae formation were suppressed in adf4 and ADF1-4Ri. This enhanced resistance was associated with suppression of Ch-induced AF fragmentation. In addition, we found that PENETRATION 2 (PEN2) plays a critical role in the Ch resistance in adf4 and ADF1-4Ri. Our findings suggest that subclass I ADFs promote AF fragmentation during Ch infection, thereby suppressing PEN2-associated mitochondria accumulation at Ch entry sites. Together, these results raise the possibility that Ch exploits host ADF-dependent actin regulation to facilitate successful infection.
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BibTeX
@misc{ohashi2026arabidopsis,
title = {{Arabidopsis thaliana ACTIN DEPOLYMERIZING FACTORs are novel susceptibility factors for Colletotrichum higginsianum}},
author = {M. Ohashi and S. Aoki and T. L. Shimada and T. Ueda and M. Umeda and N. Inada},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.01.748704},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.01.748704v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Arabidopsis thaliana ACTIN DEPOLYMERIZING FACTORs are novel susceptibility factors for Colletotrichum higginsianum
AU - M. Ohashi
AU - S. Aoki
AU - T. L. Shimada
AU - T. Ueda
AU - M. Umeda
AU - N. Inada
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.01.748704
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.01.748704v1
AB - Colletotrichum higginsianum (Ch) is a hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen that infects Brassicaceae plants, including Arabidopsis thaliana. The molecular mechanisms underlying the Ch-A. thaliana interaction are not fully understood. Particularly, the susceptibility factor against Ch infection remains to be determined. Here, we report that A. thaliana ACTIN DEPOLYMERIZING FACTORs (ADFs), ancient proteins that regulate the organization and dynamics of actin filaments (AFs), function as susceptibility factors during Ch infection. Among 11 ADFs encoded in A. thaliana genome, subclass I ADFs that include ADF1, -2, -3, and -4, express throughout the plant. We found that knockout mutant of ADF4 and transgenic plants in which the expression of all of subclass I members is suppressed (ADF1-4Ri) exhibited increased resistance to Ch. Cytological analyses revealed that both Ch penetration and secondary hyphae formation were suppressed in adf4 and ADF1-4Ri. This enhanced resistance was associated with suppression of Ch-induced AF fragmentation. In addition, we found that PENETRATION 2 (PEN2) plays a critical role in the Ch resistance in adf4 and ADF1-4Ri. Our findings suggest that subclass I ADFs promote AF fragmentation during Ch infection, thereby suppressing PEN2-associated mitochondria accumulation at Ch entry sites. Together, these results raise the possibility that Ch exploits host ADF-dependent actin regulation to facilitate successful infection.
ER -