PubMed · 2026-06-01
A gene called AGL15 — previously known mainly for controlling apple flower and fruit development — turns out to actively shut down the tree's defenses against fungal infection. Silencing or reducing this gene's activity could open a path to apples that fight off fungal disease on their own.
The MADS-domain transcription factor AGL15 functions as a negative regulator of apple immune responses to pathogenic fungi, suppressing resistance rather than promoting it.
MADS-box genes, long studied as master regulators of floral and fruit development, are now implicated in pathogen defense pathways, expanding the known functional scope of this large gene family in plants.
Apple (Malus domestica) was the study system, making findings directly relevant to a globally important tree fruit crop that suffers significant losses annually from fungal pathogens.
