Global Protein–Protein Interaction Network of Rice Sheath Blight Pathogen

Rhizoctonia solani is the major pathogenic fungi
of rice sheath blight. It is responsible for the most serious disease
of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and causes significant
yield losses in rice-growing countries. Identifying the protein–protein
interaction (PPI) maps of R. solani can provide insights
into the potential pathogenic mechanisms and assign putative functions
to unknown genes. Here, we exploited a PPI map of R. solani anastomosis group 1 IA (AG-1 IA) based on the interolog and domain–domain
interaction methods. We constructed a core subset of high-confidence
protein networks consisting of 6705 interactions among 1773 proteins.
The high quality of the network was revealed by comprehensive methods,
including yeast two-hybrid experiments. Pathogenic interaction subnetwork,
secreted proteins subnetwork, and mitogen-activated protein kinase
(MAPK) cascade subnetwork and their interacting partners were constructed
and analyzed. Moreover, to exactly predict the pathogenic factors,
the expression levels of the interaction proteins were investigated
by analyzing RNA sequences that consisted of samples from the entire
infection progress. The PPIs offer an exceptionally rich source of
data that can be used to understand the gene functions and biological
processes of this serious disease at the system level.