Premium
Identification of specificity‐defining amino acids of the wheat immune receptor Pm2 and powdery mildew effector AvrPm2
Author(s) -
Manser Beatrice,
Koller Teresa,
Praz Coraline Rosalie,
Roulin Anne C.,
Zbinden Helen,
Arora Sanu,
Steuernagel Burkhard,
Wulff Brande B.H.,
Keller Beat,
SánchezMartín Javier
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the plant journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.058
H-Index - 269
eISSN - 1365-313X
pISSN - 0960-7412
DOI - 10.1111/tpj.15214
Subject(s) - biology , effector , blumeria graminis , genetics , powdery mildew , nicotiana benthamiana , amino acid , immune receptor , epitope , immune system , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , plant disease resistance , botany , antibody
Summary Plant nucleotide‐binding leucine‐rich repeat receptors (NLRs) act as intracellular sensors for pathogen‐derived effector proteins and trigger an immune response, frequently resulting in the hypersensitive cell death response (HR) of the infected host cell. The wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) NLR Pm2 confers resistance against the fungal pathogen Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici ( Bgt ) if the isolate contains the specific RNase‐like effector AvrPm2. We identified and isolated seven new Pm2 alleles ( Pm2e–i ) in the wheat D‐genome ancestor Aegilops tauschii and two new natural AvrPm2 haplotypes from Bgt . Upon transient co‐expression in Nicotiana benthamiana , we observed a variant‐specific HR of the Pm2 variants Pm2a and Pm2i towards AvrPm2 or its homolog from the AvrPm2 effector family, BgtE‐5843, respectively. Through the introduction of naturally occurring non‐synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms and structure‐guided mutations, we identified single amino acids in both the wheat NLR Pm2 and the fungal effector proteins AvrPm2 and BgtE‐5843 responsible for the variant‐specific HR of the Pm2 variants. Exchanging these amino acids led to a modified HR of the Pm2–AvrPm2 interaction and allowed the identification of the effector head epitope, a 20‐amino‐acid long unit of AvrPm2 involved in the HR. Swapping of the AvrPm2 head epitope to the non‐HR‐triggering AvrPm2 family member BgtE‐5846 led to gain of a HR by Pm2a. Our study presents a molecular approach to identify crucial effector surface structures involved in the HR and demonstrates that natural and induced diversity in an immune receptor and its corresponding effectors can provide the basis for understanding and modifying NLR–effector specificity.