Ralstonia solanacearum Effectors Localize to Diverse Organelles in Solanum Hosts

Abstract

Phytopathogenic bacteria secrete type III effector (T3E) proteins directly into host plant cells. T3Es can interact with plant proteins and frequently manipulate plant host physiological or developmental processes. The proper subcellular localization of T3Es is critical for their ability to interact with plant targets, and knowledge of T3E localization can be informative for studies of effector function. Here we investigated the subcellular localization of 19 T3Es from the phytopathogenic bacteria Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum and Ralstonia solanacearum. Approximately 45% of effectors in our library localize to both the plant cell periphery and the nucleus, 15% exclusively to the cell periphery, 15% exclusively to the nucleus, and 25% to other organelles, including tonoplasts and peroxisomes. Using tomato hairy roots, we show that T3E localization is similar in both leaves and roots and is not impacted by Solanum species. We find that in silico prediction programs are frequently inaccurate, highlighting the value of in planta localization experiments. Our data suggest that Ralstonia targets a wide diversity of cellular organelles and provides a foundation for developing testable hypotheses about Ralstonia effector function.