Biology subjects

Katayama, E.

Publications and source records attributed to Katayama, E..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Evolution of HMA-integrated tandem kinases accompanied by expansion of target pathogens

Tandem kinase proteins (TKPs) are an emerging family of plant intracellular immune receptors that offer potential for developing novel disease resistance. We cloned Rmo2 and Rwt7, genes for resistance to the blast fungus, from barley and wheat, respectively, and discovered that they are orthologs encoding TKPs with an integrated N-terminal heavy metal-associated (HMA) domain. Rmo2 was collocated with Rpg1, a TKP gene for resistance to stem rust, while Rwt7 was collocated with WTK4, a TKP gene for resistance to powdery mildew. Domain swapping suggested that the HMA domain determines target effector specificity of these genes. We propose a model illustrating an evolutionary process in which a TKP gene has differentiated into paralogs and orthologs that recognize various effectors through diversification of their HMA domains.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Engineering plant tandem kinase immune receptors expands effector recognition profiles

Plant intracellular immune receptors are widely deployed in breeding to protect crops from disease. In addition to nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptors (NLRs), tandem kinase proteins (TKPs) have recently emerged as an important family of immune receptors within staple cereal food crops, but how TKPs recognize effectors and whether they are amenable to engineering is essentially unknown. Here, we show that the barley and wheat TKPs Rmo2 and Rwt7 recognize different blast fungus effectors via their integrated HMA domains using different protein interfaces with nanomolar binding affinity. Structural analysis pinpointed interface residues that dictate effector recognition and enabled engineering of dual-specificity TKPs. These results establish integrated HMA domains as programmable modules within TKPs for designing new specificities in plant immunity for diseases relevant to global agriculture.

plant biology↗