The blast effector Pwl2 is a virulence factor that modifies the cellular localisation of host protein HIPP43 to suppress immunity.
The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae secretes a battery of effector proteins to facilitate host infection. Among these effectors, Pwl2 was first identified as a host specificity determinant for infection of weeping lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) and is also recognised by the barley Mla3 resistance gene. However, its biological activity is not known. Here we show that PWL2 expression is regulated by the Pmk1 MAP kinase during cell-to-cell movement by M. oryzae at plasmodesmata (PD)-containing pit field sites. Consistent with its regulation, we provide evidence that Pwl2 binds to a barley heavy metal-binding isoprenylated protein HIPP43, which results in its displacement from plasmodesmata. Transgenic barley lines overexpressing either PWL2 or HIPP43 exhibit attenuated immune responses and increased disease susceptibility. By contrast, a Pwl2SNDEYWY mutant that does not interact with HIPP43, fails to alter the PD localisation of HIPP43. Targeted deletion of three copies of PWL2 in M. oryzae results in a{Delta} pwl2 mutant showing gain-of-virulence to weeping lovegrass and barley Mla3 lines, but also a reduction in severity of blast disease on susceptible host plants. Taken together, our results provide evidence that Pwl2 is a virulence factor that acts by suppressing host immunity through perturbing the plasmodesmatal deployment of HIPP43.