@article{Wang2026, 
author = {Shaoqing Wang and Meng Wang and Xinhua Wang and Jie Chen},
title = {Pathogenic exonic circRNA from Cochliobolus heterostrophus interacts with host miRNA to suppress maize defense},
year = {2026},
journal = {Journal of Integrative Agriculture (JIA)},
volume = {25},
number = {7},
pages = {2878-2889},
keywords = {Cochliobolus heterostrophus, circRNA, cross–kingdom interaction, maize miRNA},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.1016/j.jia.2025.03.026},
doi = {10.1016/j.jia.2025.03.026},
abstract = {Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a group of widely discovered non-coding RNAs in different organisms, but their biological functions are largely unknown, especially in plant–microbial interactions. In this study, we identified an exonic circRNA (Che-circR2410) from the fungus Cochliobolus heterostrophus that, together with its corresponding linear RNA ChCYP51, synergistically regulates the virulence of C. heterostrophus to maize. Further in situ hybridization and dual-luciferase reporter assays revealed the interaction between pathogenic circRNA Che-circR2410 and its cross-kingdom host target, zma-miR399e-5p. Additionally, lesion areas caused by both the wild type C. heterostrophus and the circR2410 knock-out strain (ΔChcircR2410) showed no significant difference on the maize miR399e silencing mutant, providing support for the interaction between Che-circR2410 and zma-miR399e-5p. Moreover, we found that zma-miR399e affects the expression of autophagy-related genes, regulating maize immunity. Thus, our findings reveal a cross–kingdom interaction between the pathogenic exonic circRNA and host miRNA, modulating C. heterostrophus infection in maize. This study broadens our understanding of the C. heterostrophus-maize interaction at the level of non-coding RNA.}
}