2025年4月14日出版的《自然—遗传学》杂志发表了美国科学家的一项最新研究成果。来自美国加州大学的Gitta Coaker小组的研究开发出了小麦串联激酶RWT4直接结合真菌效应物激活防御。

研究组研究了RWT4，这是一种小麦TKP，赋予对破坏性真菌病原体稻瘟病的抗性。课题组人员建立了一个水稻原生质体系统，发现RWT4特异性识别AvrPWT4效应物，导致防御基因转录并诱导细胞死亡。RWT4同时具有激酶和假激酶结构域，其激酶活性对防御至关重要。RWT4直接与AvrPWT4相互作用并使其转磷酸化。生物层干涉术显示RWT4激酶和伪激酶区域结合效应物。序列相似性和结构建模显示，RWT4激酶区域的部分激酶重复对效应物相互作用和防御激活至关重要。总的来说，这些发现表明TKPs可以直接结合已知的效应物，导致下游防御激活。

据介绍，植物有复杂的先天免疫受体来检测病原体。研究主要集中在识别外部和内部威胁的两类受体上。最近的研究发现了一类称为串联激酶蛋白（TKPs）的抗病蛋白。

附：英文原文

Title: Wheat tandem kinase RWT4 directly binds a fungal effector to activate defense

Author: Sung, Yi-Chang, Li, Yinghui, Bernasconi, Zoe, Baik, Suji, Asuke, Soichiro, Keller, Beat, Fahima, Tzion, Coaker, Gitta

Issue&Volume: 2025-04-14

Abstract: Plants have intricate innate immune receptors that detect pathogens. Research has intensely focused on two receptor classes recognizing external and internal threats. Recent research has identified a class of disease-resistance proteins called tandem kinase proteins (TKPs). We investigated RWT4, a wheat TKP that confers resistance to the devastating fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae. We established a rice protoplast system, revealing RWT4 specifically recognizes the AvrPWT4 effector, leading to the transcription of defense genes and inducing cell death. RWT4 possesses both kinase and pseudokinase domains, with its kinase activity essential for defense. RWT4 directly interacts with and transphosphorylates AvrPWT4. Biolayer interferometry revealed both RWT4 kinase and pseudokinase regions bind the effector. Sequence similarity and structural modeling revealed a partial kinase duplication in RWT4’s kinase region as critical for effector interaction and defense activation. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that TKPs can directly bind a recognized effector, leading to downstream defense activation.

DOI: 10.1038/s41588-025-02162-w

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-025-02162-w