Tackling multiple bacterial diseases of Solanaceae with a handful of immune receptors

Abstract

AbstractEvery year, despite the use of chemicals, significant crop loss is caused by pathogenic microbes. Plant innate resistance to pathogens depends on two sets of genetically encoded immune receptors that sense invaders and trigger signaling cascades leading to reinforcement of physical barriers and production of various antimicrobial compounds. In the past 30 years, the molecular cloning and characterization of plant immune receptors have deepened our understanding of the plant immune system and more importantly, have provided means to improve crop protection against devastating pathogens. Here, we review the molecular characterization of selected immune receptors that can detect multiple species of bacterial pathogens through an expanded recognition range, or through the detection of conserved pathogen activities or host targets. These recent structural and molecular insights about the activation of immune receptors provide the necessary framework to design their concomitant deployment in crops, in order to lower selective pressure on pathogen populations and prevent evasion from recognition. Hence, these few immune receptors emerge as high potential genetic resources to provide durable and environmentally safe protection against important bacterial diseases of solanaceous crops.