Phytopathogenic Mollicutes

Phytoplasmas are insect-transmitted intracellular plant bacterial pathogens that secreted effectors into host cells to interfere with host developmental or metabolic processes. Recently, the secreted aster yellows phytoplasma strain witches’ broom protein 11 (SAP11) has been shown to play as virulence factor that alters plant development, hormone biosynthesis, phosphate homeostasis and defense responses. Here it is shown that SAP11 undergoes proteolytic processing in planta and interacts with itself in vitro. These biochemical studies provide basic information for understanding the functional mechanisms of SAP11, but the biological relevance of post-translational cleavage and self-interaction of SAP11 need further investigation.