by Em Schissler
Huge congratulations to Ben on his latest paper, “A physical model links structure and function in the plant immune system,” which has published and is now available at Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
This paper presents a mathematical and physics-based model of Effector-Triggered Immunity (ETI), a fundamental component of how plants recognize and respond to pathogens. While plants use NLR proteins to detect harmful effectors either directly or indirectly, the broader system-level logic behind these immune interactions has remained unclear. In this study, Ben and his co-authors construct a minimalist model that links protein–protein interactions to emergent immune behaviors. They provide a universal explanation for effector interference as a natural consequence of molecular competition, revealing how different immune sensing strategies generate functional trade-offs between sensitivity, target protection, and proteomic cost. The study offers a systems-level framework for understanding how ZAR1, an evolutionarily conserved immune receptor, integrates multiple signals to mount a unified defense.
Authors: Benjamin G. Weiner, Hanna Märkle, Eric Laderman, Choghag Demirjian, and Joy Bergelson.
Read the full paper here!
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