Interaction of rice and xanthomonas TAL effectors

Abstract

Bacterial blight of rice, caused by the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) in rice, represents one of the most well-studied crop diseases and is also well-known as a model for studying host/microbe interaction. TALEs (transcription activator-like effectors), as a group of pathogenesis factors and once translocated into the host cells from pathogen, recognize and activate host genes to condition disease susceptibility and also trigger host resistance responses dependent on the nature of target genes in plants. TALEs and their target genes have become the foci of the molecular battles between Xoo and rice. The continuing battles have led to incredibly diverse virulence mechanisms in pathogen and counteracting defense mechanisms in rice. Extensive efforts have been made to understand the TALE biology, identify host target genes, and elucidate their interaction and resulting physiological relevance to rice blight and other crop diseases. This review aims to summarize how much we have learned about TALEs and their role in bacterial blight of rice, as well as associated susceptibility and resistance genes in the host. The review also intends to provide a prospect of engineering genetic resistance by applying precise genome editing of TALEassociated target genes in rice.