Diverse haplotypes at a complex Solanum americanum locus confer resistance to Phytophthora infestans and P. capsici
Plants encounter diverse pathogens and have evolved a two-layered innate immune system to detect pathogen molecules and activate defense mechanisms that restrict infection. Most cloned plant Resistance (R) genes encode NLR immune receptors. NLR genes are often found in clusters of paralogs with sequence and copy number variation; whether these NLR clusters evolve in response to single or multiple pathogens has been unclear. We report here the isolation of a Phytophthora capsici resistance gene, Rpc2, along with a novel P. infestans resistance gene, Rpi-amr5, from two Solanum americanum accessions. These orthologous genes reside in the Rpi-amr1 cluster, which has previously been associated with resistance to P. infestans. By screening RXLR effector libraries of P. infestans and P. capsici, we identified multiple effectors recognised by both NLRs. Our findings highlight the complexity of NLR clusters and evolution driven by interactions with multiple pathogens. This work will underpin efforts to elevate resistance against Phytophthora pathogens and enhances our understanding of NLR evolution.
Authors
- Matthew Smoker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7003-616X)
- Xiao Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3848-0244)
- Long Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0523-3308)
- Maheen Alam (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4848-0782)
- Andrea Olave-Achury (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8309-541X)
- Maria Sindalovskaya (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0198-7145)
- Robert Heal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9520-5787)
- Kamil Witek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0659-5562)
- Kee Hoon Sohn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9021-8649)
- Hari S. Karki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3893-7352)
- Jodie Taylor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4230-2501)
- Sarah Pottinger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0091-8439)
- Qing Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9818-6805)
- He Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4222-4371)
- V K Arora (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0853-9067)
- Aleksandra Wawryk-Khamdavong
- Kinga Bachowska
- Jonathan D G Jones
- Shuting Sun
- Ruth Norkor Annang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6408-7868)
Institutions
- John Innes Centre (GB)
- University of East Anglia (GB)
- Seoul National University (KR)
- Norwich Research Park (GB)
- Sainsbury Laboratory (GB)
- 2Blades Foundation (US)
- Earlham Institute (GB)
- Biotechnology Research Institute (CA)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Plant Cell
- Published
- 2026-09-05
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koag264
- Primary Topic
- Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00