Opening the Ralstonia solanacearum type III effector tool box: insights into host cell subversion mechanisms

Effectors delivered to host cells by the Type III secretion system are essential to Ralstonia solanacearum pathogenicity, as in several other plant pathogenic bacteria. The establishment of exhaustive effector repertoires in multiple R. solanacearum strains drew a first picture of the evolutionary dynamics of the pathogen effector suites. Effector repertoires are diversified, with a core of 20-30 effectors present in most of the strains and the obtention of mutants lacking one or more effector genes revealed the functional overlap among this effector network. Recent functional studies have provided insights into the ability of single effectors to manipulate the host proteasome, elicit cell death, trigger the expression of plant genes, and/or display biochemical activities on plant protein targets.