LI Lei’s group from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and TIAN Zhixi’s group from the Yazhouwan National Laboratory collaborated to identify a soybean phytocytokine - receptor module conferring broad-spectrum disease resistance. The related results were published in Nature Plants on August 19, 2025 (doi.org/10.1038/s41477-025-02086-7).
Plant genomes encode thousands of secreted small peptides (SSPs), which regulate multiple aspects of plant life activities ranging from development to defense responses. Many SSPs are perceived by membrane-localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), among which leucine-rich repeat receptor kinases (LRR-RKs) are one of the largest receptor families.
Through comprehensive peptide-receptor matching, the research team identified 63 pairs of small peptide-receptor pairs in soybean. Among them, the immune-regulatory phytocytokines GmPEP914 and GmPEP890 can trigger strong immune responses and inhibit the infection of various pathogens, and their functions are mediated by the identified receptors GmP98R1 and GmP98R2. Based on artificial intelligence-based structural modeling and biochemical assay analysis, both peptides directly bind to the GmP98R receptor with nanomolar-level affinity. The PEP914-P98R module is highly conserved in leguminous plants and cucurbitaceous plants, indicating the importance of its function and evolution.
This study has established a scalable and systematic strategy for identifying peptide-receptor pairs and clarified the key role of the PEP914-P98R module in soybean disease resistance. The small peptides GmPEP914/GmPEP890 are expected to provide a new type of biopesticide in the future, addressing issues such as the residue of chemical pesticides, which may cause environmental problems, and the development of drug resistance in pathogens.
The study was supported by the National Science and Technology Major Project and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Large-scale pairing identifies a soybean phytocytokine-receptor module conferring disease resistance (Image by IGDB)
Contact:
Dr. LI Lei
Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Email: leili@genetics.ac.cn
CAS
中文
.png)
Large-scale pairing identifies a soybean phytocytokine-receptor module conferring disease resistance (Image by IGDB)Contact:Dr. LI LeiInstitute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, the Chinese Academy of SciencesEmail: leili@genetics.ac.cn