Genetically engineered plant endophytes broaden effector-triggered immunity.
Menglu Hou1, Sitao Zhu1, Ruixia Niu1
1State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, Hubei Provincial Research Center for Basic Biological Sciences, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, RNA Institute, Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS), Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China.
Cell Host & Microbe
|October 22, 2025
Summary
Engineered bacteria, termed Sentinels, activate plant immunity by expressing pathogen effectors. This novel strategy enhances plant defense against diverse pathogens, complementing existing microbial approaches.
Area of Science:
- Plant pathology
- Microbiology
- Synthetic biology
Background:
- Plants use nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) receptors for effector-triggered immunity (ETI) against pathogens.
- ETI effectiveness is limited by pathogen effector recognition, which is unpredictable in natural infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer plant endophytes (Sentinels) to express pathogen effectors and activate ETI.
- To develop a versatile strategy for broad-spectrum plant disease resistance.
Main Methods:
- Engineered endophytes (Sentinels) to heterologously express pathogen effectors recognized by host NLRs.
- Utilized an OxyR regulatory circuit for effector expression triggered by reactive oxygen species (ROS).
- Tested various effector-NLR pairs in different plants against multiple pathogens.
Main Results:
- Sentinel colonization activated ETI against pathogens lacking recognizable effectors.
- ROS-triggered expression enabled ETI activation.
- Microbiota diversity and plant growth were maintained despite Sentinel colonization.
Conclusions:
- Engineered Sentinels provide a versatile platform for broad-spectrum ETI activation.
- This strategy leverages microbiota-host-pathogen interactions for enhanced plant defense.
- Complements synthetic microbial consortia for robust plant disease management.
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