A Plant Immune Receptor That Sees Two Fungal Threats at Once

Scientists led by the John Innes Centre and The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich have engineered a plant immune receptor that recognizes two major crop pathogens at once, according to a study reported in October. The work, carried out with USDA–University of Minnesota laboratories, used computational structural modelling and molecular mimicry — a mechanism in which plant immune receptors evolve to recognize threats by mimicking the targets pathogens attack — to guide receptor evolution. The approach is aimed at eventually helping wheat, rice, and barley resist fungal infections more effectively.

The timing matters. In 2025, a new strain of yellow rust appeared in the UK, overcoming a key genetic defence in widely grown wheat varieties and threatening more than half of the nation's wheat crops. That case shows how quickly a single resistance gene can be defeated. The engineered receptor is designed to recognize multiple fungal threats rather than one, which could make resistance more durable and reduce reliance on chemical fungicides.

The stakes extend beyond the field. Fungal pathogens threaten staple crops including wheat, rice, and barley, and a warming climate is helping fungi adapt to new hosts and environments. Rising global temperatures may be helping environmental fungi survive inside the human body, narrowing the thermal barrier that has protected people. The amphibian-killing fungus Bd, one of the most destructive pathogens ever recorded in wild animals, threatens more than 500 amphibian species.

What remains unknown is whether the engineered receptor will work in field conditions across all three target crops, how long resistance will hold as fungi evolve, and whether the same strategy can be adapted to the yellow rust strain that emerged in 2025. The research is a step, not a deployment.