Architects of plant immunity: Structure-informed strategies for engineering plant nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptors

Diseases caused by plant pathogens are a major factor decreasing crop yields that lead to food insecurity. To protect against pathogen threats, plants possess a multifaceted immune system that perceive threats derived from plant pathogens, resulting in the activation of immune responses. Evolutionary pressures allow plant pathogens to evolve rapidly and evade recognition by nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) receptors. In recent years, advancements in our understanding of the molecular and structural basis of effector recognition by NLRs have enabled targeted strategies for engineered receptors that contain novel or expanded recognition profiles. In conjunction with advancements in structural modeling and synthetic biology tools, this has transformed our ability to manipulate plant receptors with precision. Here, we highlight structure-based approaches toward engineering plant NLRs, including integrated domain (ID) engineering and leucine-rich repeat resurfacing, discuss challenges associated with NLR engineering, and highlight future engineering approaches to enhance the plant immune system against pathogen threats.