Work

Some assembly required: Modularity and programmability as keys to decoupling growth-defence trade-offs in plants

Year: 2026

Type: review

Abstract: Growth-defence trade-off has long been considered an inevitable consequence of resource competition in plants. However, emerging evidence from autoimmune mutants and helper NLR studies reveals this paradigm to be fundamentally incomplete. Rather than simple resource limitation, plants coordinate growth-defence balance through programmable transcriptional networks centred on regulatory hubs such as the EDS1-PAD4-ADR1 (EPA) complex. Meta-analysis across diverse immune contexts demonstrates that defence and growth genes exhibit a remarkably consistent relationship, operating through segregated yet coordinated molecular modules. The discovery that ADR1 helper NLRs simultaneously enhance immune responses whilst actively suppressing growth-related genes—rather than competing passively for shared resources—exposes the coordinated nature of this trade-off. Networks downstream of ADR1 also exhibit remarkable regulatory exclusivity, and this modular organisation, combined with proof-of-concept successes in decoupling immunity from growth penalties through targeted genetic interventions, challenges the zero-sum assumption underlying current crop improvement strategies. Understanding these conserved regulatory circuits opens unprecedented opportunities for engineering optimised plant immunity without yield penalties, transforming agriculture from accepting inevitable trade-offs to programming flexible resource allocation. • ADR1 helper NLRs function as important switches controlling growth-defence trade-offs through transcriptional reprogramming. • Growth-defence trade-offs are programmable through modular regulatory circuits rather than fixed by resource limitation. • Selective manipulation of the regulatory elements of ADR1 and EDS1 targets may enable precise optimisation of growth-defence trade-offs.

Source: Current Opinion in Plant Biology

DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2025.102811

Authors: Rachelle R.Q. Lee, Donghui Hu, Eunyoung Chae

Institutions: National University of Singapore, University of Oxford

Language: English

Topic: Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity

Subfield: Plant Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,810