Degradation without ubiquitination: new function of a parasite effector

Like many other pathogens, the obli-gate parasitic bacteria phytoplasmas reply on secreted effectors to cause diseases in their plant hosts. Huang et al. revealed that a phytoplasma effector degrades plant proteins independent of ubiquitination. Bypassing this degradation step makes Arabidopsis thaliana plants resistant to this parasite effector.

Automated summary

Research has shown that a phytoplasma effector degrades plant proteins independently, and bypassing this step makes plants resistant to the effector.