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Review
. 2018 Jun 4;19(6):1662.
doi: 10.3390/ijms19061662.

Regulation and Evolution of NLR Genes: A Close Interconnection for Plant Immunity

Grazia M Borrelli  1 , Elisabetta Mazzucotelli  2 , Daniela Marone  3 , Cristina Crosatti  4 , Vania Michelotti  5 , Giampiero Valè  6 , Anna M Mastrangelo  7
Affiliations
Review

Regulation and Evolution of NLR Genes: A Close Interconnection for Plant Immunity

Grazia M Borrelli et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

NLR (NOD-like receptor) genes belong to one of the largest gene families in plants. Their role in plants' resistance to pathogens has been clearly described for many members of this gene family, and dysregulation or overexpression of some of these genes has been shown to induce an autoimmunity state that strongly affects plant growth and yield. For this reason, these genes have to be tightly regulated in their expression and activity, and several regulatory mechanisms are described here that tune their gene expression and protein levels. This gene family is subjected to rapid evolution, and to maintain diversity at NLRs, a plethora of genetic mechanisms have been identified as sources of variation. Interestingly, regulation of gene expression and evolution of this gene family are two strictly interconnected aspects. Indeed, some examples have been reported in which mechanisms of gene expression regulation have roles in promotion of the evolution of this gene family. Moreover, co-evolution of the NLR gene family and other gene families devoted to their control has been recently demonstrated, as in the case of miRNAs.

Keywords: NLR genes; gene evolution; gene regulation; plant breeding.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Number of NOD-like receptor (NLR) genes in relation to genome size in some monocot (red) and dicot (blue) species.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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