Pear trees have a hidden gene switch that fights fungal disease
Xing C, Lin L, Qiao Q, Cheng X, Yang X
Crop Improvement
If you grow pear trees or love visiting an orchard in fall, this points toward future disease-resistant varieties that need fewer fungicide sprays to stay healthy.
Pear trees often get attacked by a fungus that causes black spot disease, covering leaves and fruit in dark lesions. Researchers discovered a small protein called PpHSP21 that, when active, helps pear cells fight off the fungus more effectively, and they traced out the chain of genetic signals that turns this protein on. Boosting this protein's activity made pear tissue much more resistant to infection, while blocking it made the plant more vulnerable, suggesting breeders could one day use this discovery to create hardier pear varieties.
Key Findings
Overexpressing PpHSP21 in pear calli significantly increased resistance to Alternaria alternata, while silencing the gene increased susceptibility.
Two transcription factors, PpCBP60B and PpBZR1.1, work together and directly bind the PpHSP21 promoter to activate its expression, with PpBZR1.1 also promoting PpCBP60B expression.
PpHSP21 interacts with ribosomal protein PpRPL12 to support protein stability and raise brassinolide (a brassinosteroid hormone) levels, further strengthening disease resistance.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists found a gene in pear trees that acts like a stress-response switch, boosting the plant's natural defense against black spot disease, a fungal infection that damages pear crops worldwide.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
A PpHSP21-Centred Regulatory Network Integrates Brassinosteroid Signalling to Enhance Black Spot Disease Tolerance in Pear.
Pear black spot disease (BSD) is mainly a fungal disease caused mainly by Alternaria alternata. Although extensive research has been conducted, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying BSD resis...
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Pears are a genus of trees, Pyrus, in the family Rosaceae, that bear an edible apple-like fruit of the same name. Several species of pears are cultivated for their fruit and juices, while others are grown as ornamental flowering trees.