Resurrection of plant disease resistance proteins via helper NLR bioengineering.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37134163.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.adg3861 and PMC identifier 10156107.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Parasites counteract host immunity by suppressing helper nucleotide binding and leucine-rich repeat (NLR) proteins that function as central nodes in immune receptor networks. Understanding the mechanisms of immunosuppression can lead to strategies for bioengineering disease resistance. Here, we show that a cyst nematode virulence effector binds and inhibits oligomerization of the helper NLR protein NRC2 by physically preventing intramolecular rearrangements required for activation. An amino acid polymorphism at the binding interface between NRC2 and the inhibitor is sufficient for this helper NLR to evade immune suppression, thereby restoring the activity of multiple disease resistance genes. This points to a potential strategy for resurrecting disease resistance in crop genomes.
Medical subject headings
- Plant Proteins
- Disease Resistance