Genetius

The study demonstrates that a beta‑1,3‑glucan‑binding protein from the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae interacts with the rice thaumatin‑like protein OsPR5, which sequesters the fungal protein to trigger immunity, while the fungus secretes thaumatin‑binding proteins to counteract this defense. Additionally, a rice cell‑surface receptor kinase containing a thaumatin domain has evolved to detect the fungal GBP, highlighting a complex coevolutionary arms race in the rice apoplast.

The study generated a phenotypic dataset for 550 Lactuca accessions, including 20 wild relatives, and applied an iterative two‑step GWAS using a jointly processed SNP set for cultivated lettuce (L. sativa) and its wild progenitor (L. serriola) to dissect trait loci. Known and novel QTLs for anthocyanin accumulation, leaf morphology, and pathogen resistance were identified, with several L. serriola‑specific QTLs revealing unique genetic architectures, underscoring the breeding value of wild lettuce species.