Plant Biology

Two NLR immune receptors acquired high-affinity binding to a fungal effector through convergent evolution of their integrated domain

1. Aleksandra Białas
2. Thorsten Langner
3. Adeline Harant
4. Mauricio P Contreras
5. Clare EM Stevenson
6. David M Lawson
7. Jan Sklenar
8. Ronny Kellner
9. Matthew J Moscou
10. Ryohei Terauchi
11. Mark J Banfield
12. Sophien Kamoun

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  Convergent evolution is often observed in nature, but the molecular mechanisms allowing similar functions to independently emerge are rarely understood. This work determines how the high-affinity recognition of a pathogenic effector produced by the rice blast fungus, Avr-PikD, evolved in the immune receptor Pik-1. The integration of molecular evolution analyses with structure-function biochemical testing is novel to the field and the data quality is exceptional. In addition to advancing knowledge of host-microbe co-evolution, this work is exemplary in its transparency and the breadth of approaches utilized to understand protein evolution, and we expect that this study will provide a conceptual framework for similar studies in the future.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife, PREreview

Distinct effects of phyllosphere and rhizosphere microbes on invader Ageratina adenophora during its early life stages

1. Zhao-Ying Zeng
2. Jun-Rong Huang
3. Zi-Qing Liu
4. Ai-Ling Yang
5. Yu-Xuan Li
6. Yong-Lan Wang
7. Han-Bo Zhang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study investigates plant-microbe interactions for an invasive plant, Ageratina adenophora. The findings are valuable in advancing our understanding of how leaf and soil microbes separately affect its performance, with solid experimental evidence revealing the importance of litter microbes in shaping A. adenophora populations. The work will be of interest to invasion biologists.

Reviewed by eLife

A bacterial type III effector hijacks plant ubiquitin proteases to evade degradation

1. Wenjia Yu
2. Meng Li
3. Wenjun Wang
4. Haiyan Zhuang
5. Jiamin Luo
6. Yuying Sang
7. Cecile Segonzac
8. Alberto P. Macho

Reviewed by PREreview

H1 restricts euchromatin-associated methylation pathways from heterochromatic encroachment

1. C Jake Harris
2. Zhenhui Zhong
3. Lucia Ichino
4. Suhua Feng
5. Steven E Jacobsen

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study indicates a role for linker Histone H1 in protecting heterochromatic regions from certain types of repression. The experiments and data analysis that support the model for the role of linker Histone H1are solid, although additional experiments could provide a deeper mechanistic understanding. The study will be of broad interest to those interested in the role of chromatin in eukaryotic gene expression.

Reviewed by eLife

Metabolic enzymes moonlight as selective autophagy receptors to protect plants against viral-induced cellular damage

1. Marion Clavel
2. Anita Bianchi
3. Roksolana Kobylinska
4. Roan Groh
5. Juncai Ma
6. Ranjith K. Papareddy
7. Nenad Grujic
8. Lorenzo Picchianti
9. Ethan Stewart
10. Michael Schutzbier
11. Karel Stejskal
12. Juan Carlos de la Concepcion
13. Victor Sanchez de Medina Hernandez
14. Yoav Voichek
15. Pieter Clauw
16. Joanna Gunis
17. Gerhard Durnberger
18. Jens Christian Muelders
19. Annett Grimm
20. Arthur Sedivy
21. Mathieu Erhardt
22. Victoria Vyboishchikov
23. Peng Gao
24. Esther Lechner
25. Emilie Vantard
26. Jakub Jez
27. Elisabeth Roitinger
28. Pascal Genschik
29. Byung-Ho Kang
30. Yasin Dagdas

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

A fungal transcription factor BOT6 facilitates the transition of a beneficial root fungus into an adapted anthracnose pathogen

1. Ren Ujimatsu
2. Junya Takino
3. Masami Nakamura
4. Hiromi Haba
5. Atsushi Minami
6. Kei Hiruma

Reviewed by PREreview

Graft incompatibility between pepper and tomato can be attributed to genetic incompatibility between diverged immune systems

1. Hannah Rae Thomas
2. Alice Gevorgyan
3. Alexandra Hermanson
4. Samantha Yanders
5. Lindsay Erndwein
6. Matthew Norman-Ariztía
7. Erin E. Sparks
8. Margaret H Frank

Reviewed by PREreview

Improving rice drought tolerance through host-mediated microbiome selection

1. Alex Styer
2. Dean Pettinga
3. Daniel Caddell
4. Devin Coleman-Derr

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This valuable study reports on a series of artificial selection experiments for microbiomes that confer drought tolerance to rice plants. A major strength is the solid experimental design with multiple soils, which will likely guide others in designing their experiments, but the study has also shortcomings in that the rescuing effect is not benchmarked against healthy well-watered plants, the sterilized controls do not add much information, and the dispersal between inocula confounds the interpretation of the results. In addition, while the type of work presented here is a first step towards the eventual goal of plant microbiome engineering, that goal is still mainly an ambition. The abstract would benefit from this being made clear, and the presentation would overall benefit from more extensive consideration of recent developments in the field.

Reviewed by eLife

Characterization of the small Arabidopsis thaliana GTPase and ADP-ribosylation factor-like 2 protein TITAN 5

1. Inga Mohr
2. Amin Mirzaiebadizi
3. Sibaji K. Sanyal
4. Pichaporn Chuenban
5. Mohammad R. Ahmadian
6. Rumen Ivanov
7. Petra Bauer

Reviewed by Review Commons

Natural genetic variation underlying the negative effect of elevated CO2 on ionome composition in Arabidopsis thaliana

1. Oceane Cassan
2. Lea-Lou Pimpare
3. Timothy Mozzanino
4. Cecile Fizames
5. Sebastien Devidal
6. Fabrice Roux
7. Alexandru Milcu
8. Sophie Lebre
9. Alain Gojon
10. Antoine Martin

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This paper provides useful information about how the ionome of Arabidopsis thaliana adapts to very high CO2-levels, backed up by solid evidence and carefully designed studies. The work will be of interest to anyone studying natural genetic variation as well as the response of plants to altered CO2 levels in the atmosphere.

Reviewed by eLife