Tomato immune receptor Ve1 recognizes effector of multiple fungal wilt pathogens

Cell surface receptors, generally referred to as pattern recognition receptors (PRR), detect conserved microbial molecules, generally referred to as microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs), to activate MAMP-triggered immunity (MTI). Successful plant pathogens overcome MTI by the use of secreted effectors which perturb host immunity in a pro-active manner. To overcome effector-triggered susceptibility, plants in turn evolved immune receptors that monitor the presence or activity of particular effectors to re-install immunity. The tomato immune receptor Ve1 governs resistance to race 1 strains of the soil-borne vascular wilt fungus Verticillium dahliae, while race 2 strains are not recognized. By high-throughput population genome sequencing, the gene that encodes the Ave1 effector (for Avirulence on Ve1 tomato) was identified. Interestingly, Ave1 homologs were also found in the fungal pathogens Cercospora beticola, Colletotrichum higginsianum and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. Some of these homologs are recognized by tomato Ve1. Based on the differential recognition of the Ave1 homologs, the epitope of the Ave1 protein has been identified.