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Plug-in strategy for resistance engineering inspired by potato NLRome
Luyao Wang1,2, Hongbo Li1,3, Yuhang Ke2
1National Key Laboratory of Tropical Crop Breeding, Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
Nature
|October 30, 2025
Summary
Potato late blight remains a threat, but researchers have identified new resistance genes (R genes) by analyzing potato genomes. This discovery offers a strategy for engineering disease resistance in crops.
Area of Science:
- Genomics and Plant Pathology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Crop Science
Background:
- Potato late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans, poses a significant threat to global food security.
- Existing late-blight resistance (R) genes, primarily nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) proteins, are often overcome by pathogen evolution.
- Hybrid breeding utilizing R genes is a key strategy for managing late blight.
Purpose of the Study:
- To construct a comprehensive catalog of NLR genes (NLRome) in the Solanum section Petota (tuber-bearing clade).
- To identify novel R genes for late blight resistance through comparative genomics.
- To explore strategies for engineering enhanced disease resistance in potatoes.
Main Methods:
- Sequenced genomes of 31 wild and 21 cultivated potato species.
- Performed phylogenomic analyses to understand NLR gene evolution.
- Mined the NLRome to identify and clone specific R genes, including Rpi-cph1 and Rpi-cjm1.
- Investigated the role of integrated domains, such as the heavy-metal-associated (HMA) domain, in R gene function.
Main Results:
- Assembled a section-wide NLRome of 39,211 NLR genes from 52 potato genomes.
- Identified novel R genes, Rpi-cph1 and Rpi-cjm1, conferring resistance to P. infestans.
- Discovered widespread non-canonical NLR integrated domains and identified Rpi-brk1, which utilizes an HMA domain to perceive effectors.
- Demonstrated that incorporating the HMA domain into an existing NLR gene broadens its resistance spectrum.
Conclusions:
- Comparative and evolutionary genomics provide a powerful framework for discovering novel R genes.
- The identification of Rpi-brk1 and the success of the HMA domain 'plug-in' strategy offer new avenues for engineering disease resistance.
- These findings contribute to developing sustainable strategies for managing potato late blight and enhancing food security.
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