Ralstonia solanacearum Type III Effector RipAL Targets Chloroplasts and Induces Jasmonic Acid Production to Suppress Salicylic Acid-Mediated Defense Responses in Plants

Ralstonia solanacearum is the causal agent of bacterial wilt disease of plants. This pathogen injects more than 70 type III effector proteins called Rips (Ralstonia-injected proteins) into plant cells to succeed in infection. One of the Rips, RipAL, contains a putative lipase domain that shared homology with Arabidopsis DEFECTIVE IN ANTHER DEHISCENCE1 (DAD1). RipAL significantly suppressed pattern-triggered immunity in leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana. Subcellular localization analyses suggest that RipAL localizes to chloroplasts and targets chloroplast lipids in plant cells. Notably, the expression of RipAL markedly increased the jasmonic acid (JA) and JA-isoleucine levels, and induced the expressions of JA-signaling marker genes in plant leaves. Simultaneously, RipAL greatly reduced the salicylic acid (SA) level and decreased the expression levels of SA-signaling marker genes. Mutations in two putative catalytic residues in the DAD1-like lipase domain abolished the ability of RipAL to induce JA production and suppress SA signaling. Infection of R. solanacearum also induced JA production and simultaneously decreased the SA level in susceptible pepper leaves in a ripAL-dependent manner. The growth of R. solanacearum enhanced in plants with silenced CaICS1, which encodes the SA synthesis enzyme isochorismate synthase 1. These results indicate that SA signaling is involved in the defense response against R. solanacearum and that R. solanacearum uses RipAL to induce JA production and suppress SA signaling in plant cells.