Molecular attributes of intrinsically disordered regions in secretomes influence fungal pathogenesis

Abstract

Secretory proteins are crucial for establishing fungal infection through biomolecular interactions with the host. Accumulating evidence suggest that intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) in proteins facilitate molecular interactions. How do IDRs of secretory proteins influence fungal pathogenesis? By analyzing 195,359 secretory proteins of 73 fungal species, we find that IDRs in plant pathogen extracellular non-effectors are enriched for weak polyampholytes and polyelectrolytes. These could adopt beads-on-string conformation effectively promoting assembly of diverse enzymes aiding swift degradation of host cell wall. Both animal pathogen secretory proteins and intracellular plant pathogen effectors show enrichment for strong polyampholytes, potentially aiding phase-separation and organizing intracellular biological matter to hijack or suppress host machinery. Importantly, IDRs of plant pathogen effectors which mimic host IDRs could have emerged through convergent evolution, while those of non-effectors might have evolved de novo. Thus, specific molecular attributes of fungal secretome IDRs can influence initiation, establishment and long-term persistence of infection.