Defence against pathogens relies on intracellular nucleotide-binding, leucine-rich repeat immune receptors (NLRs) in plants. Hormone signaling including abscisic acid (ABA) pathways are activated by NLRs and play pivotal roles in defence against different pathogens. However, little is known about how hormone signaling pathways are activated by plant immune receptors. Here, we report that a plant NLR Sw-5b mimics the behavior of the ABA receptor and directly employs the ABA central regulator PP2C-SnRK2 complex to activate an ABA-dependent defence against viral pathogens. PP2C4 interacts with and constitutively inhibits SnRK2.3/2.4. Behaving in a similar manner as the ABA receptor, pathogen effector ligand recognition triggers the conformational change of Sw-5b NLR that enables binding to PP2C4 via the NB domain. This receptor-PP2C4 binding interferes with the interaction between PP2C4 and SnRK2.3/2.4, thereby releasing SnRK2.3/2.4 from PP2C4 inhibition to activate an ABA-specific antiviral immunity. These findings provide important insights into the activation of hormone signaling pathways by plant immune receptors.

Plant intracellular nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat-containing receptors (NLRs) activate a robust immune response upon detection of pathogen effectors. How NLRs induce downstream immune defense genes remains poorly understood. The Mediator complex plays a central role in transducing signals from gene-specific transcription factors to the transcription machinery for gene transcription/activation. In this study, we demonstrate that MED10b and MED7 of the Mediator complex mediate jasmonate-dependent transcription repression, and coiled-coil NLRs (CNLs) in Solanaceae modulate MED10b/MED7 to activate immunity. Using the tomato CNL Sw-5b , which confers resistance to tospovirus , as a model, we found that the CC domain of Sw-5b directly interacts with MED10b. Knockout/down of MED10b and other subunits including MED7 of the middle module of Mediator activates plant defense against tospovirus . MED10b was found to directly interact with MED7, and MED7 directly interacts with JAZ proteins, which function as transcriptional repressors of jasmonic acid (JA) signaling. MED10b–MED7–JAZ together can strongly repress the expression of JA-responsive genes. The activated Sw-5b CC interferes with the interaction between MED10b and MED7, leading to the activation of JA-dependent defense signaling against tospovirus . Furthermore, we found that CC domains of various other CNLs including helper NLR NRCs from Solanaceae modulate MED10b/MED7 to activate defense against different pathogens. Together, our findings reveal that MED10b/MED7 serve as a previously unknown repressor of jasmonate-dependent transcription repression and are modulated by diverse CNLs in Solanaceae to activate the JA-specific defense pathways.

Sw‐5b is an effective resistance gene used widely in tomato to control tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), which causes severe losses in crops worldwide. Sw‐5b confers resistance by recognizing a 21‐amino‐acid peptide region of the viral movement protein NSm (NSm21, amino acids 115–135). However, C118Y or T120N mutation within this peptide region of NSm has given rise to field resistance‐breaking (RB) TSWV isolates. To investigate the potential ability of TSWV to break Sw‐5b ‐mediated resistance, we mutagenized each amino acid on NSm21 and determined which amino acid mutations would evade Sw‐5b recognition. Among all alanine‐scan mutants, NSm ^P119A , NSm ^W121A , NSm ^D122A , NSm ^R124A , and NSm ^Q126A failed to induce a hypersensitive response (HR) when coexpressed with Sw‐5b in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. TSWV with the NSm ^P119A , NSm ^W121A , or NSm ^Q126A mutation was defective in viral cell‐to‐cell movement and systemic infection, while TSWV carrying the NSm ^D122A or NSm ^R124A mutation was not only able to infect wild‐type N . benthamiana plants systemically but also able to break Sw‐5b ‐mediated resistance and establish systemic infection on Sw‐5b ‐transgenic N . benthamiana plants. Two improved mutants, Sw‐5b ^{L33P/K319E/R927A} and Sw‐5b ^{L33P/K319E/R927Q} , which we recently engineered and which provide effective resistance against field RB isolates carrying NSm ^C118Y or NSm ^T120N mutations, recognized all NSm21 alanine‐substitution mutants and conferred effective resistance against new experimental RB TSWV with the NSm ^D122A or NSm ^R124A mutation. Collectively, we determined the key residues of NSm for Sw‐5b recognition, investigated their potential RB ability, and demonstrated that the improved Sw‐5b mutants could provide effective resistance to both field and potential RB TSWV isolates.

Despite the discovery of plant viruses as a new class of pathogens over a century ago, the structure of plant virus replication machinery and antiviral pesticide remains lacking. Here we report five cryogenic electron microscopy structures of a ~330-kDa RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) from a devastating plant bunyavirus, tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus (TSWV), including the apo, viral-RNA-bound, base analogue ribavirin-bound and ribavirin-triphosphate-bound states. They reveal that a flexible loop of RdRp’s motif F functions as ‘sensor’ to perceive viral RNA and further acts as an ‘adaptor’ to promote the formation of a complete catalytic centre. A ten-base RNA ‘hook’ structure is sufficient to trigger major conformational changes and activate RdRp. Chemical screening showed that ribavirin is effective against TSWV, and structural data revealed that ribavirin disrupts both hook-binding and catalytic core formation, locking polymerase in its inactive state. This work provides structural insights into the mechanisms of plant bunyavirus RdRp activation and its dual-targeted site inhibition, facilitating the development of pesticides against plant viruses.

Plant intracellular nucleotide-binding and leucine-rich repeat immune receptors (NLRs) play a key role in activating a strong pathogen defense response. Plant NLR proteins are tightly regulated and accumulate at very low levels in the absence of pathogen effectors. However, little is known about how this low level of NLR proteins is able to induce robust immune responses upon recognition of pathogen effectors. Here, we report that, in the absence of effector, the inactive form of the tomato NLR Sw-5b is targeted for ubiquitination by the E3 ligase SBP1. Interaction of SBP1 with Sw-5b via only its N-terminal domain leads to slow turnover. In contrast, in its auto-active state, Sw-5b is rapidly turned over as SBP1 is upregulated and interacts with both its N-terminal and NB-LRR domains. During infection with the tomato spotted wilt virus, the viral effector NSm interacts with Sw-5b and disrupts the interaction of Sw-5b with SBP1, thereby stabilizing the active Sw-5b and allowing it to induce a robust immune response.