Effectors in plant pathology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Plant ubiquitin regulatory domain-containing proteins (PUX) play vital roles in CDC48-mediated protein quality control processes. Here Shi et al. show that a conserved core Magnaporthe oryzae effector (MoNLE1) can specially target the rice PUX protein OsPUX8B.2 and interfere with host immune responses.

The understanding of pathogenicity in quantitative plant pathosystems remains limited. This study reveals the genetic architecture of quantitative pathogenicity traits in a significant fungal plant pathogen, shedding light on potential evolutionary mechanisms involved in host adaptation.

The authors developed a platform for rapid identification of interacting plant immune receptors and pathogen avirulence proteins by library screening in protoplasts, then used it to identify new wheat stem rust Avr genes recognized by known wheat resistance genes.

Effectors secreted by plant pathogens subvert host immunity. Here the authors use a structural approach to design a small molecule that can disrupt the interaction between a fungal effector and its target in rice, and could be used as a novel fungicide.

In this Review, Roussin-Léveillée, Mackey and colleagues examine microorganism interaction with and manipulation of the plant apoplast. Effector-driven extracellular niche establishment is conceptualized as foundational to plant pathogenesis and frames the discussion of the complex interplay between pathogen virulence, host immunity and the physiological dynamics shaping plant–microorganism interactions.

Pathogen perception in plants is mediated by immune receptors that detect specific pathogen molecules. Members of one diverse receptor family that occurs in all land plants form a structurally conserved activation complex with a shared signalling mechanism.

Dual recognition specificity of an MLA immune receptor in barley demonstrates that the deployment of mildew-resistant cultivars by plant breeders has unintentionally affected nonhost resistance to wheat stripe rust.

Plants can experience a range of challenges, from osmotic stress to pathogen attack, requiring different types of responses. Despite this variety, two recent studies of plant transcriptomes reveal a surprising commonality in the genes induced by stress.