M. J. Banfield

Bioengineering a plant NLR immune receptor with a robust binding interface towards a conserved fungal pathogen effector

The paper bioengineers a plant NLR receptor to recognize a conserved fungal effector, resulting in durable resistance against blast fungus isolates.

The blast effector Pwl2 is a virulence factor that modifies the cellular localisation of host protein HIPP43 to suppress immunity.

This study identifies Pwl2 as a virulence factor in the rice blast fungus that suppresses host immunity by altering the localization of HIPP43.

Activation of plant immunity through conversion of a helper NLR homodimer into a resistosome

This study shows how the helper NLR NRC2 converts from a homodimer to a higher-order oligomer upon activation by the sensor NLR Rx, revealing the molecular mechanism of plant immune activation.

Zinc-finger (ZiF) fold secreted effectors form a functionally diverse family across lineages of the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae.

The paper identifies a functionally diverse family of Zinc-finger fold effectors in Magnaporthe oryzae, showing functional specialization across host species.

The WY domain of an RxLR effector drives interactions with a host target phosphatase to mimic host regulatory proteins and promote Phytophthora infestans infection.

This study characterizes the interaction between the WY domain of the P. infestans effector Pi04314 and the host PP1c phosphatase, showing how it mimics host regulatory proteins to promote infection.

Allelic compatibility in plant immune receptors facilitates engineering of new effector recognition specificities.

This paper demonstrates how allelic compatibility in the Pik NLR pair can be exploited to engineer NLRs with expanded effector recognition specificities without causing constitutive cell death.

Disentangling the complex gene interaction networks between rice and the blast fungus identifies a new pathogen effector

The Piks allele of the NLR immune receptor Pik breaks the recognition of AvrPik effectors of the rice blast fungus

The paper characterizes the Piks allele of the rice immune receptor Pik, showing it does not recognize known AvrPik effectors of the rice blast fungus, suggesting a novel recognition mechanism.

Binding of a blast fungus Zinc-finger fold effector to a hydrophobic pocket in the host exocyst subunit Exo70 modulates immune recognition in rice

This paper reveals how the blast fungus effector AVR-Pii binds to rice Exo70, modulating immune recognition through a novel Zinc-finger fold and conserved hydrophobic interface.

Effector target-guided engineering of an integrated domain expands the disease resistance profile of a rice NLR immune receptor

The paper engineers rice NLR receptors to recognize new effector variants by incorporating effector targets, enhancing disease resistance against blast fungus.

Regressive evolution of an effector following a host jump in the Irish Potato Famine Pathogen Lineage

The paper shows that a key functional motif in the effector PexRD54 of Phytophthora mirabilis degenerated after a host jump, leading to reduced interaction with host ATG8 proteins.

A genetically linked pair of NLR immune receptors show contrasting patterns of evolution

This paper studies the evolution of a rice NLR gene pair, showing that the sensor NLR undergoes dynamic domain integration under balancing selection, while the helper NLR remains functionally conserved under purifying selection.

pOPIN-GG: A resource for modular assembly in protein expression vectors

The paper introduces pOPIN-GG vectors enabling modular cloning for rapid protein expression with various tags, maintaining expression levels and supporting complex purification.

Perception of structurally distinct effectors by the integrated WRKY domain of a plant immune receptor.

This paper reveals how the WRKY domain of the Arabidopsis NLR receptor RRS1 recognizes structurally distinct bacterial effectors to initiate immunity.

Functional diversification gave rise to allelic specialization in a rice NLR immune receptor pair

The paper shows that allelic specialization in rice NLR receptor pairs confers resistance to fungal strains and reveals a single amino acid polymorphism driving preferential association between matching pairs.

A single amino acid polymorphism in a conserved effector of the multihost blast fungus pathogen expands host-target binding spectrum

The paper identifies a single amino acid change in APikL2 that expands its host-target binding spectrum through altered hydrogen-bonding networks.

Two NLR immune receptors acquired high-affinity binding to a fungal effector through convergent evolution of their integrated domain

The paper reconstructs the evolutionary history of rice NLR receptors Pik-1 and Pik-2, showing their HMA domain evolved convergent high-affinity binding to the fungal effector AVR-PikD.

Multiple variants of the blast fungus effector AVR-Pik bind the HMA domain of the rice protein OsHIPP19 with high affinity.

The paper identifies how multiple AVR-Pik variants bind OsHIPP19 with high affinity, revealing structural differences that enhance binding compared to Pik-1's HMA domain.

The blast pathogen effector AVR-Pik binds and stabilizes rice heavy metal-associated (HMA) proteins to co-opt their function in immunity

This study shows that the fungal effector AVR-Pik binds and stabilizes rice HMA proteins, co-opting their function to suppress immunity, while also triggering immunity in plants with integrated HMA domains in NLRs.

The allelic rice immune receptor Pikh confers extended resistance to strains of the blast fungus through a single polymorphism in the effector binding interface

This paper identifies a single amino acid change in the Pikh allele of a rice immune receptor that extends resistance to multiple strains of the blast fungus through enhanced effector binding.

The rice NLR pair Pikp-1/Pikp-2 initiates cell death through receptor cooperation rather than negative regulation

This study shows that the rice NLR pair Pikp-1/Pikp-2 activates immunity through receptor cooperation, not negative regulation, by forming complexes with the effector AVR-PikD.

Protein engineering expands the effector recognition profile of a rice NLR immune receptor

This study uses structure-guided engineering to expand the effector recognition of a rice NLR receptor, showing improved binding and immune response to variant effector proteins.

Structural and biochemical studies of an NB-ARC domain from a plant NLR immune receptor

This study produces and characterizes the NB-ARC domain of the tomato NLR NRC1, revealing its structural similarity to mammalian homologues and its ability to bind ADP.

Cross-reactivity of a rice NLR immune receptor to distinct effectors from the blast pathogen leads to partial disease resistance

This study shows that a rice NLR receptor can recognize a structurally similar effector from a different pathogen, leading to partial resistance.

Lessons in effector and NLR biology of plant-microbe systems

The paper examines three effectors from the rice blast fungus and their corresponding rice NLR immune receptors to highlight general concepts of plant-microbe interactions and identify 12 lessons in effector and NLR biology.

An Oomycete Effector Protein Induces Shade Avoidance In Arabidopsis And Attenuates Salicylate Signaling By Binding To Host Proteins Of The RADICAL-INDUCED CELL DEATH1 Family

The paper shows that the oomycete effector HaRxL106 induces shade avoidance and suppresses salicylic acid signaling in Arabidopsis by interacting with RCD1, a protein involved in immune responses.