The rice white tip nematode (RWTN) Aphelenchoides besseyisecretes effectors that manipulate host plant cells to facilitate successful parasitism and sustain infection. Although the number of identified RWTN effectors remains limited, their mechanisms of interaction withhost plants are largely unknown. Profilins (PFNs) function as molecular hubs that regulate complex interaction networks. To advance understanding of PFN3 in plant-parasitic nematodes, we identified an effector from A. besseyi, designated AbPFN3. AbPFN3is transcriptionally upregulated during the juvenile stage of the nematode, and in situhybridization localized its expression to the esophageal glands. Three rice (Oryza sativa) proteins, ADP/ATP carrier protein 1 (OsAAC1), B-cell receptor-associated protein 31 (OsBAP31) and Small Auxin Up RNA 50 (OsSAUR50), were identified as interactors of AbPFN3, with interactions occurring in distinct cellular compartments, including the endoplasmic reticulum, cytoplasm, and plasma membrane. Transgenic analyses revealed that AbPFN3expression significantly increased plant height and upregulated AAC1and BAP31, while downregulating RGA2and SAUR50. This study characterizes AbPFN3 as a novel effector secreted by A.besseyi that interacts with multiple host proteins, highlighting its potential role in modulating host defense responses and cell development processes.

Fusarium pseudograminearum  /  PAMP  /  cell death  /  virulence