An extended β-finger motif is near-ubiquitous in kinase fusion proteins

Kinase fusion proteins (KFPs) are immune receptors that confer disease resistance in wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare). We discovered that KFPs with a confirmed function share an extended {beta}-finger motif, a Poaceae-specific feature that originated [~]98 million years ago. The genes encoding these receptors are among the most highly expressed within the plant KFP repertoire, suggesting that elevated transcript abundance is a hallmark of their disease resistance function.