Profile of the in silico secretome of the palm dieback pathogen, a fungus that puts natural oases at risk

Abstract

Understanding biotic changes that occur alongside climate change constitute a research priority of global significance. Here, we address a plant pathogen that poses a serious threat to life on natural oases, where climate change is already taking a toll and severely impacting human subsistence. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis is a pathogen that causes dieback disease on date palms, a tree that provides several critical ecosystem services in natural oases; and consequently, of major importance in this vulnerable habitat. Here, we assess the current state of global pathogen spread, we annotate the genome of a sequenced pathogen strain isolated from the native range and we analyse its in silico secretome. The palm dieback pathogen secretes a large arsenal of effector candidates including a variety of toxins, a distinguished profile of secreted in xylem proteins (SIX) as well as an expanded protein family with an N-terminal conserved motif [SG]PC[KR]P that could be involved in interactions with host membranes. Using agrobiodiversity as a strategy to decrease pathogen infectivity, while providing short term resilient solutions, seems to be widely overcome by the pathogen. Hence, the urgent need for future mechanistic research on the palm dieback disease and a better understanding of pathogen genetic diversity.