Can bacterial type III effectors mediate pathogen-plant-microbiota ternary interactions?

Bacterial pathogens use a type III secretion system to directly inject effector proteins into plant cells promoting infection. The molecular function and virulence contribution of type III effectors have been exclusively studied in binary plant-pathogen interactions. However, the recent explosion of microbiome research in plants has profoundly altered our perspective on plant-pathogen interactions. Here we hypothesize that type III effectors manipulate the microbiota composition by mediating ternary pathogen-plant-microbiota interactions. Our hypothesis will open new doors to study the biological functions of type III effectors and provide basis to develop new strategies for plant disease control.