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Updated: Aug 9, 2025

Screening and Identification of RNA Silencing Suppressors from Secreted Effectors of Plant Pathogens
Published on: February 3, 2020
Plant HEM1 specifies a condensation domain to control immune gene translation
Yulu Zhou1, Ruixia Niu1, Zhijuan Tang1
1State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS), Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
Abstract:
Translational reprogramming is a fundamental layer of immune regulation, but how such a global regulatory mechanism operates remains largely unknown. Here we perform a genetic screen and identify Arabidopsis HEM1 as a global translational regulator of plant immunity. The loss of HEM1 causes exaggerated cell death to restrict bacterial growth during effector-triggered immunity (ETI). By improving ribosome footprinting, we reveal that the hem1 mutant increases the translation efficiency of pro-death immune genes. We show that HEM1 contains a plant-specific low-complexity domain (LCD) absent from animal homologues. This LCD endows HEM1 with the capability of phase separation in vitro and in vivo. During ETI, HEM1 interacts and condensates with the translation machinery; this activity is promoted by the LCD. CRISPR removal of this LCD causes more ETI cell death. Our results suggest that HEM1 condensation constitutes a brake mechanism of immune activation by controlling the tissue health and disease resistance trade-off during ETI.
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