An NLR-VOZ seesaw: from asymmetric selection to synthetic broad-spectrum resistance

Abstract

A recent study in Nature identified the rice (Oryza sativa) nucleotide-binding site and leucine-rich repeat (NLR) receptor XA48, which recognized the ancient bacterial effector XopG and triggered immunity by promoting degradation of the negative regulators OsVOZ1/2. Population genomics revealed an asymmetric selection, with Xa48 retained in indica but lost in japonica due to a reproductive penalty. By stacking XA48-mediated effector-triggered immunity (ETI) with XA21-mediated pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and introducing the compatible OsVOZ1^S allele, broad-spectrum bacterial blight resistance from wild rice was reconstituted. This work provides a design strategy that helps break the growth-defence trade-off.

Keywords

NLR immune receptor / Asymmetric selection / Growth-defence trade-off / Broad-spectrum resistance

References

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Funding

National Key R&D Program of China(2023YFD1200700)

Visit Research Project at Haixia Institute of Science and Technology of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University(KFXH23006)

Project of State Key Laboratory of Tropical Crop Breeding(NKLTCB-HZ04)

Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund(1630052025021)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

The Author(s)