2026/01/01 by Anastasios Samaras, Evagelia Daskalaki, Shridhar Jambagi +3 · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Fungal and yeast genetics research #Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity #Mycotoxins in Agriculture and Food
paper · doi:10.1094/mpmi-02-26-0019-sc
openalex publication_date 2026/01/01 · openalex created_date 2026/03/07 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/03
The fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae poses a major threat to the global production of cereals such as rice, wheat, and millets. Similar to other fungal pathogens, it secretes effector proteins to manipulate host immune responses, enabling successful colonization and infection. In this study, M. oryzae strains were collected from diseased finger millet plants and wild grasses in Uganda. A candidate effector gene— Mo2928Fm—was identified from a highly virulent finger millet strain and found to be strongly induced at 2 days postinoculation, suggesting a role in the early infection process. In silico analysis indicated that Mo2928Fm is present only in a subset of M. oryzae genomes and encodes a protein with two domains connected by a serine-rich linker. Confocal microscopy confirmed its nuclear localization in host cells, and gene deletion significantly reduced fungal virulence. Transient expression of Mo2928Fm suppressed the transcription of key plant immune response genes. Further analyses also revealed a potential interaction between Mo2928Fm and the plant mitogen-activated protein kinase 3 (MAPK3) protein. Based on these findings, we propose that the Mo2928Fm–MAPK3 complex interferes with basal plant immune signaling and promotes susceptibility to blast disease. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .