@federicalocci.bsky.social presents the fonction of non canonical TIR immune receptors #2025ismpmi

Full room for @keehoonsohn.bsky.social presentation #2025ismpmi

@geminiteamlab.bsky.social reminds us the importance of virology in plant immunity research #2025ismpmi

Well arrived at #2025ismpmi with @madeleinebaker.bsky.social (Poster P-182) @nicolasfreiditfrey.bsky.social (talk at symbiosis concurrent session) and @katharinamel1.bsky.social (P-407)

There is great science happening at @instmolplantsci.bsky.social in Edinburgh, on plant biology, evolution and paleobotany. Thanks @transitionalform.bsky.social for explaining to me this rare fossil collection. Thanks again @davidjhoey.bsky.social and @sandyheth.bsky.social for the invitation.

Published fern transcriptomics (doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.27.609851 from @mutwil.bsky.social) suggest that SAR is controlled by pipecolic acid, rather than SA in ferns. They also use AMP to defend themelf [8/9]

Using AlphaFold, we found that their N-terminal domain is disordered
🌀 we referred them as disorder N-terminal NLRs (disN-NLRs)
🧬 They are ancestral in land plants and lost in angiosperms. [7/9]

NLRs (typical intracellular immune receptors) show more peculiar evolution in ferns:
✅ Ancestral type ‘Cbl-N’ of CC-NLR, lost in angiosperms
✅ TIR-NLR, RPW8-NLR
❌ Kin-NLR, Hyd NLR
✅ Overlooked TPR and CC-NB-ARC atypical NLRs
✅ NLR never described (in grey here). What could they be 🧐? [6/9]

We used NLtracker (from @jiorgoskourelis.bsky.social) and RGAugury to list putative fern immune receptors. First, 🧬 the diversity of cell-surface receptors resembles that of other land plants [5/9]

Fusarium and Colletotrichum infest ferns with similar strategies than what is known in angiosperms [4b/9]

Ferns have two phases:
🍀 gametophyte (tiny, algae-looking prothalli)
🌿 sporophyte (the familiar leafy fronds).
Surprisingly the gametophyte of Pteris vittata is more resistant to Fusarium and Xylaria than the sporophyte! 🧐 [4/9]

We gathered a collection of 🍄 microbes and a collection of 🌿 ferns, and test their interactions
👀 Some pathosystems suggest non-host resistance mechanisms
🛡️ Some pathosystems suggest specific resistance mechanisms [3/9]

Most of what we know about plant immunity comes from angiosperms (~90% of land plants & most crops).

🌿 But what about other lineages?

🤔 Can we uncover novel immune strategies in ferns? Let’s take a closer look! [2/9]