H2S-mediated protein S-sulfhydration modulates infectivity and autophagy in the rice blast fungus

  • Nat Commun. 2025 Jul 5;16(1):6222. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-61582-8.
Hong Hu  1 ,  Mengyuan Qin  1 ,  Jiening Zhang  1 ,  Jintao Jiang  1 ,  Zhiqin Su  1 ,  Lun Guan  1 ,  Zhiguang Qu  1 ,  Caiyun Liu  1 ,  Xuan Cai  1 ,  Zhiyong Ren  1 ,  Yuhang Duan  1 ,  Deyao Zhang  1 ,  Hao Liu  1 ,  Lu Zheng  1 ,  Junbin Huang  1 ,  Xiao-Lin Chen  2
Affiliations
  • 1. National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.
  • 2. National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China. [email protected].
PMID: 40617858 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-61582-8
Abstract

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) regulates cellular activities in Plants and mammals through S-sulfhydration, a post-translational modification of proteins. The role of H2S and its molecular targets in fungi, however, remains unclear. Here we show that H2S, synthesized by cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE1) in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, is essential for optimal fungal Infection. Excessive H2S, through S-sulfhydration, impairs Fungal infectivity by inhibiting Autophagy. Using quantitative proteomics, we identify numerous S-sulfhydrated proteins in M. oryzae, including the autophagy-related protein ATG18. S-sulfhydration of a cysteine residue (Cys78) in ATG18 is essential for its binding to phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate, thereby maintaining the protein's structural stability and regulating Autophagy. Thus, our study reveals a mechanism by which H2S-mediated S-sulfhydration controls Autophagy in the rice blast fungus and suggests the potential use of H2S donors as a strategy to control Fungal diseases by targeting Fungal development and Infection structures.

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