A. Maqbool

Assembly of a segrosome by a CTP-independent ParB-like protein

This study identifies a CTP-independent ParABS system in Streptomyces coelicolor that segregates plasmid SCP2 through a ParT protein that diffuses on DNA without CTP binding or hydrolysis.

Activation of plant immunity through conversion of a helper NLR homodimer into a resistosome

This study shows how the helper NLR NRC2 converts from a homodimer to a higher-order oligomer upon activation by the sensor NLR Rx, revealing the molecular mechanism of plant immune activation.

Bimodular Architecture of Bacterial Effector SAP05 Drives Ubiquitin-Independent Targeted Protein Degradation

This paper reports the crystal structures of SAP05 complexes and reveals their bimodular architecture enabling ubiquitin-independent targeted protein degradation in eukaryotic cells.

Resurrection of plant disease resistance proteins via helper NLR bioengineering

A helper NLR is mutated to evade inhibition by a parasite effector, restoring disease resistance gene activity.

Regressive evolution of an effector following a host jump in the Irish Potato Famine Pathogen Lineage

The paper shows that a key functional motif in the effector PexRD54 of Phytophthora mirabilis degenerated after a host jump, leading to reduced interaction with host ATG8 proteins.

Dynamic accumulation of a helper NLR at the plant-pathogen interface underpins pathogen recognition

This study shows that the NLR protein NRC4 dynamically changes its subcellular localization during plant-pathogen interaction, accumulating at the haustorium interface before activation and redistributing after immune recognition.

Plant pathogens convergently evolved to counteract redundant nodes of an NLR immune receptor network

The paper identifies effectors from plant pathogens that specifically target subsets of NRC immune receptor proteins, revealing convergent strategies to counteract redundant nodes in the NLR network.

Multiple variants of the blast fungus effector AVR-Pik bind the HMA domain of the rice protein OsHIPP19 with high affinity.

The paper identifies how multiple AVR-Pik variants bind OsHIPP19 with high affinity, revealing structural differences that enhance binding compared to Pik-1's HMA domain.

Jurassic NLR: conserved and dynamic evolutionary features of the atypically ancient immune receptor ZAR1

This study reconstructs the evolutionary history of the ancient ZAR1 NLR immune receptor, revealing conserved features and novel domain acquisitions across plant lineages.

An N-terminal motif in NLR immune receptors is functionally conserved across distantly related plant species

The paper identifies a conserved N-terminal motif in plant NLR immune receptors and shows its functional conservation across species.

N-terminal β-strand underpins biochemical specialization of an ATG8 isoform

The paper identifies the N-terminal β-strand and a single amino acid polymorphism as key determinants of binding specificity for the ATG8 isoform in potato, shaping interactions with PexRD54 and other plant proteins.

Lessons in effector and NLR biology of plant-microbe systems

The paper examines three effectors from the rice blast fungus and their corresponding rice NLR immune receptors to highlight general concepts of plant-microbe interactions and identify 12 lessons in effector and NLR biology.