L. Oberkofler, C. Tisserant, C. Krueger, M. Rodriguez-Rendon, C. Seydel, A. Cheradil, N. Safari, A. Biabani, A.-P. Cheng, S. Ostendorp, A. Klingl, J. Kehr, S. Robatzek, A. Weiberg
Using fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy, and molecular genetic techniques to study the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea, researchers found that EV-mediated RNA delivery into plants was dependent on cell wall degrading enzymes. EV-associated proteins compromise the plant cell wall, thereby facilitating RNA delivery, and cell wall degrading enzymes are commonly associated with EVs across plant-colonizing species. Cell wall degrading enzymes facilitate EVs to transverse the cell wall for cargo delivery in cross-kingdom communication.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) can deliver RNA and proteins into host cells to manipulate immunity; but how EVs transverse the cell wall is unknown. Using the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea that induces cross-kingdom RNA interference in plants, we uncovered that EV-mediated RNA delivery was dependent on cell wall degrading enzymes. Through fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy, and molecular genetic techniques, we demonstrate that EV-associated proteins compromise the plant cell wall, thereby facilitating RNA delivery. Notably, cell wall degrading enzymes are commonly associated with EVs across plant-colonizing bacterial, fungal and oomycete species, indicating a conserved role in EV transport across cell walls. These findings uncover a formerly unknown mechanism by which cell wall degrading enzymes facilitate EVs to transverse the cell wall for cargo delivery in cross-kingdom communication.