Robert Heal, Andrea Carolina Olave-Achury, Maria Sindalovskaya, Ruth Norkor Annang, Shuting Sun, He Zhao, Qing Liu, Li Long, Hari Sharan Karki, Jodie Taylor, Aleksandra Wawryk-Khamdavong, Kinga Bachowska, Matthew Smoker, Maheen Alam, Sarah Pottinger, Vatsal Arora, Kee Hoon Sohn, Kamil Witek, Xiao Lin, Jonathan D G Jones
Plants encounter diverse pathogens and have evolved a two-layered innate immune system to detect pathogen molecules and activate defense mechanisms that restrict infection. Most cloned plant Resistance (R) genes encode NLR immune receptors. NLR genes are often found in clusters of paralogs with sequence and copy number variation; whether these NLR clusters evolve in response to single or multiple pathogens has been unclear. We report here the isolation of a Phytophthora capsici resistance gene, Rpc2, along with a novel P. infestans resistance gene, Rpi-amr5, from two Solanum americanum accessions. These orthologous genes reside in the Rpi-amr1 cluster, which has previously been associated with resistance to P. infestans. By screening RXLR effector libraries of P. infestans and P. capsici, we identified multiple effectors recognised by both NLRs. Our findings highlight the complexity of NLR clusters and evolution driven by interactions with multiple pathogens. This work will underpin efforts to elevate resistance against Phytophthora pathogens and enhances our understanding of NLR evolution.