21Plant pathogenic bacteria, fungi and oomycetes secrete effector proteins to manipulate host 22 cell processes to establish a successful infection. Over the last decade the genomes and transcriptomes 23 of many agriculturally important plant pathogens have been sequenced and vast candidate effector 24 repertoires were identified using bioinformatic analyses. Elucidating the contribution of individual 25 effectors to pathogenicity is the next major hurdle. To advance our understanding of the molecular 26 mechanisms underlying lettuce susceptibility to the downy mildew Bremia lactucae, we mapped a 27 network of physical interactions between B. lactucae effectors and lettuce target proteins. Using a 28 lettuce cDNA library-based yeast-two-hybrid system, 61 protein-protein interactions were identified, 29 involving 21 B. lactucae effectors and 46 unique lettuce proteins. The top ten targets based on the 30 number of independent colonies identified in the Y2H and two targets that belong to gene families 31 involved in plant immunity, were further characterized. We determined the subcellular localization of 32 the fluorescently tagged target proteins and their interacting effectors. Importantly, relocalization of 33 effectors or targets to the nucleus was observed for four effector-target pairs upon their co-expression, 34 supporting their interaction in planta. 42 nucleotide-binding and leucine-rich repeat receptors (NLRs) recognize host translocated effectors, or 43 the perturbations effectors induce on host proteins, resulting in the activation of effector-triggered 44 immunity (ETI). In turn, ETI can be counteracted by other effectors leading to a state of effector-45 triggered susceptibility (ETS) [1]. 46 Fungi and oomycetes secrete apoplastic effectors that operate at the host-pathogen interface, 47 and host-translocated effectors that act intracellularly in the host. The genomes of different pathogens 48 encode for extensive candidate effector sets, which have specific characteristics based on their origin. 49 Fungal genomes encode e.g. small apoplastic cysteine-rich proteins [2], plant pathogenic downy 50 mildews and Phytophthora species express host-translocated Crinklers and RXLR effectors [3-6] 51 whereas plant pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria, e.g. Pseudomonas syringae, inject type III effectors 52 into host cells [7]. At present, the major challenge lies in elucidating the contribution of individual 53 effectors to the infection process through the identification of plant targets and analysis of the 54 molecular mechanisms that contribute to disease susceptibility. 55 Effector targets were systematically studied in Arabidopsis thaliana by identifying physical 56 interactions between Arabidopsis proteins and effector proteins of the bacterium P. syringae, the 57 obligate biotrophic oomycete Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis, and the obligate biotrophic 58 ascomycete Golovinomyces orontii resulting from a yeast-two-hybrid (Y2H) screening of ~8000 59 Arabidopsis ORFs [8,9]. Interactions between 123 effectors a...