From convergence to design in pattern recognition receptors
Wentao Yang1, Qi Wang1, Yanjing Lu2
1College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
Trends in Plant Science
|March 3, 2026
Abstract:
Plants rely on pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) to detect pathogens, yet PRRs differ across species. Ngou et al. show that convergent evolution yields a shared recognition logic in the selective cold shock protein receptor (SCORE) for bacterial cold shock protein peptides. Structure-guided design yields synthetic SCORE variants that broaden detection, offering robust, broad-spectrum crop resistance.
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