橡胶树炭疽病是造成胶园减产的重要原因之一。真菌效应蛋白在植物病害发生中起重要作用。橡胶树炭疽病的主要病原是胶胞炭疽菌，但关于胶胞炭疽效应蛋白的研究十分有限。我们已经完成一个强致病胶孢炭疽基因组测序工作，预测出700多个可能的效应蛋白基因，初步鉴定了几个能够分泌到真菌胞外的候选效应蛋白基因，这些基因的突变体对橡胶树的致病性有一定程度的下降。本项目拟在此基础上，通过生物化学和遗传学方法进一步分析这些效应蛋白的功能，研究其对植物免疫反应的影响，分离其在植物细胞中的靶标蛋白，以期阐明胶胞炭疽菌效应蛋白对橡胶树的致病机理。本项目将从病原菌和寄主植物两方面对效应蛋白的功能进行研究，诠释效应蛋白的致病机理。此外，鉴于橡胶树遗传转化体系尚不成熟，且周期过长，本项目利用橡胶树叶片原生质体瞬时表达系统研究效应蛋白对橡胶树先天免疫反应的影响，具有明显的创新性。该研究对建立新型橡胶树病害防控策略具有重要理论意义。

Anthracnose is a fungal disease of rubber tree. It is one of the major constraints in rubber production. Fungal effectors play important role in pathogenicity of plant pathogens. The main pathogen causing anthracnose of rubber tree is Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, however, the pathogenic mechanisms of its effectors are not clear. Based on the genomic sequence of C. gloeosporioides, more than 700 potential effector genes were predicted and several genes have been isolated and characterized as secreted protein associated with pathogenicity. In this project we propose to investigate the function of those candidate effectors genetic and biochemical approaches. The effect of these candidate effectors on rubber tree innate immunity responses will be analyzed and the targets of these effectors in host cell will be screened to understand how the effectors subvert host responses of rubber tree. The outcomes of this project will be helpful to build up new strategy for disease control of rubber tree. The innovativeness of this project is that the functions of candidate effectors investigated both in pathogen and in host can provide more comprehensive understanding and that the rubber tree mesophyll protoplast transient expression system will be used to study the innate immunity response of rubber tree.