E3‐Ubiquitin Ligase SgATL31 Promotes Anthracnose Resistance in <i>Stylosanthes</i> by Modulating ROS Burst and Antioxidant Defence: A Proteomic and Functional Study

Stylosanthes spp. (stylo) is an important leguminous forage cultivated in tropical areas. Anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides is a destructive disease that limits the yield of stylo. Therefore, improving the resistance of stylo is crucial to control stylo anthracnose. In this study, the resistance evaluation of 40 Chinese stylo accessions was performed, including the main cultivar Stylosanthes guianensis 'Reyan No. 2' (RY2) as a susceptible control. Twelve stylo accessions were rated as highly resistant, with 2001-84 showing the strongest resistance. Compared to RY2, 2001-84 exhibited significantly milder disease symptoms, slower fungal colonisation, and higher pathogen-induced antioxidant enzyme activities. Integrated phosphoproteomics and plasma membrane (PM) enriched proteomics of both RY2 and 2001-84 revealed that pathogen-responsive proteins were predominantly associated with kinase signalling, transport processes, and oxidoreductase activity. A PM-localised E3 ubiquitin ligase, SgATL31, was identified as increasing in response to pathogen in both proteomic analyses. Functional characterisation demonstrated that SgATL31 overexpression in Arabidopsis enhanced resistance to C. gloeosporioides, promoted chitin-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in both Arabidopsis and stylo protoplasts, and increased antioxidant enzyme activities following pathogen infection. Furthermore, the expression levels of SgATL31 were induced by pathogen infection in all 40 stylo accessions and accumulated to higher levels in resistant accessions. Overall, our findings not only identify 2001-84 as a valuable genetic resource for anthracnose resistance but also establish SgATL31 as a regulator of plant immunity against anthracnose, potentially through modulation of ROS and antioxidant pathways, providing important insights for improving disease resistance in stylo.