Sirt5‐mediated lysine desuccinylation regulates oxidative stress adaptation in Magnaporthe oryzae during host intracellular infection

Summary Plant pathogenic fungi elaborate numerous detoxification strategies to suppress host reactive oxygen species (ROS), but their coordination is not well‐understood. Here, we show that Sirt5‐mediated protein desuccinylation in Magnaporthe oryzae is central to host ROS detoxification. SIRT5 encodes a desuccinylase important for virulence via adaptation to host oxidative stress. Quantitative proteomics analysis identified a large number of succinylated proteins targeted by Sirt5, most of which were mitochondrial proteins involved in oxidative phosphorylation, TCA cycle, and fatty acid oxidation. Deletion of SIRT5 resulted in hypersuccinylation of detoxification‐related enzymes, and significant reduction in NADPH : NADP + and GSH : GSSG ratios, disrupting redox balance and impeding invasive growth. Sirt5 desuccinylated thioredoxin Trx2 and glutathione peroxidase Hyr1 to activate their enzyme activity, likely by affecting proper folding. Altogether, this work demonstrates the importance of Sirt5‐mediated desuccinylation in controlling fungal process required for detoxifying host ROS during M. oryzae infection.