The IPB has once again been recognized for its exemplary actions in terms of equal opportunity-oriented personnel and organizational policies and has received the TOTAL E-QUALITY certification for the…
The Plant Science Student Conference (PSSC) has been organised by students from the two Leibniz institutes, IPK and IPB, every year for the last 20 years. In this interview, Christina Wäsch (IPK) and…
Liu, Q.; Neefjes, A. C. M.; Singh, A.; Kobylinska, R.; Mugford, S. T.; Marzo, M.; Canham, J.; Schuster, M.; Hoorn, R. A.; Chen, Y.; Hogenhout, S. A.;Aphid effectors suppress plant immunity via recruiting defense proteins to processing bodiesSci. Adv.11eadv1447(2025)DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adv1447
Aphids are small insects that have developed specialized mouthparts and effector proteins to establish long-term relationships with plants. The peach-potato aphid
Myzus persicae
is a generalist, feeding on many plant species and capable of transmitting numerous pathogens. This study reveals how host-responsive cathepsin B (CathB) proteins in the oral secretions of
M. persicae
facilitate aphid survival by modulating plant immune responses. Host-responsive CathB proteins localize to plant processing bodies (p-bodies), cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein granules involved in messenger RNA storage or decay. Upon localization, these CathB proteins recruit key immune regulators EDS1, PAD4, and ADR1 to these bodies, suppressing plant defenses. A plant protein, Acd28.9 (Hsp20 family), counteracts this CathB activity and contributes to plant resistance to aphids. These findings highlight an unexpected role for p-bodies in plant immunity and uncover a plant resistance mechanism to aphid infestation.