How Bacteria Use Autophagy to Hijack Plant Defenses

This research article explores how the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae manipulates its plant host's protein synthesis. The study reveals that P. syringae uses two effector proteins to induce the formation of processing bodies (P-bodies), cellular compartments involved in mRNA decay and translational arrest. This effector-triggered P-body formation leads to a general attenuation of host translation, a key virulence mechanism. Furthermore, the research demonstrates a crucial role for endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress responses and autophagy in regulating P-body dynamics and the pathogen's ability to suppress host translation. The findings uncover a novel interplay between P-bodies, ER stress, and autophagy during bacterial infection. Source: González-Fuente, M., Schulz, N., Abdrakhmanov, A., Izzati, G., Zhu, S., Langin, G., Gouguet, P., Franz-Wachtel, M., Macek, B., Hafrén, A., Dagdas, Y., & Üstün, S. (2025). Effector-triggered processing body formation attenuates host translation via ER stress responses and autophagy upon bacterial infection. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.09.632196