Abstract：
Prion-like proteins (PrLPs) have emerged as beneficial molecules with implications in adaptive responses. These proteins possess a conserved prion-like domain (PrLD) which is an intrinsically disordered region capable of adopting different conformations upon perceiving external stimuli. Owing to changes in protein conformation, functional characteristics of proteins harboring PrLDs get altered thereby, providing a unique mode of protein-based regulation. Since PrLPs are ubiquitous in nature and involved in diverse functions, through this study, we aim to explore the role of such domains in yet another important physiological process viz. plant-microbe interactions to get insights into the mechanisms dictating cross-kingdom interactions. We have evaluated the presence and functions of PrLPs in 18 different plant-associated fungi of agricultural importance to unravel their role in plant-microbe interactions. Of the 241,997 proteins scanned, 3,820 (~ 1.6%) were identified as putative PrLPs with pathogenic fungi showing significantly higher PrLP density than their beneficial counterparts. Further, through GO enrichment analysis, we could predict several PrLPs from pathogenic fungi to be involved in virulence and formation of stress granules. Notably, PrLPs involved in (retro)transposition were observed exclusively in pathogenic fungi. We even analyzed publicly available data for the expression alterations of fungal PrLPs upon their interaction with their respective hosts which revealed perturbation in the levels of some PrLP-encoding genes during interactions with plants. Overall, our work sheds light into the probable role of prion-like candidates in plant-fungi interaction, particularly in context of pathogenesis, paving way for more focused studies for validating their role.
摘要：
朊病毒样蛋白（PrLP）已成为具有适应性反应意义的有益分子。这些蛋白质具有保守的朊病毒样结构域（PrLD），这是一个内在无序的区域，能够在感知外部刺激时采用不同的构象。由于蛋白质构象的变化，因此，携带PrLD的蛋白质的功能特征发生了改变，提供了一种独特的基于蛋白质的调节模式。由于PrLP在自然界中无处不在，涉及多种功能，通过这项研究，我们的目的是探索这些领域在另一个重要的生理过程中的作用。植物-微生物相互作用，以深入了解决定跨王国相互作用的机制。我们已经评估了PrLP在18种具有农业重要性的不同植物相关真菌中的存在和功能，以阐明其在植物-微生物相互作用中的作用。在扫描的241,997种蛋白质中，3,820（〜1.6％）被鉴定为推定的PrLP，病原真菌的PrLP密度明显高于其有益的对应物。Further,通过GO富集分析，我们可以预测几种来自病原真菌的PrLP参与毒力和胁迫颗粒的形成。值得注意的是,仅在病原真菌中观察到参与（逆行）转座的PrLP。我们甚至分析了公开可用的数据，以了解真菌PrLP与各自宿主相互作用时的表达变化，这揭示了在与植物相互作用期间某些PrLP编码基因水平的扰动。总的来说,我们的工作揭示了朊病毒样候选物在植物-真菌相互作用中的可能作用，特别是在发病机制的背景下，为更有针对性的研究铺平了道路，以验证它们的作用。
