By Amy Quinton
Scientists at the University of California, Davis, used artificial intelligence to help plants recognize a wider range of bacterial threats which may lead to new ways to protect crops like tomatoes and potatoes from devastating diseases. The study was published in Nature Plants.
Plants, like animals, have immune systems. Part of their defense toolkit includes immune receptors, which give them the ability to detect bacteria and defend against it. One of those receptors, called FLS2, helps plants recognize flagellin a protein in the tiny tails bacteria use to swim. But bacteria are sneaky and constantly evolving to avoid detection.
"Bacteria are in an arms race with their plant hosts, and they can change the underlying amino acids in flagellin to evade detection," said lead author Gitta Coaker, professor in the Department of Plant Pathology.
To help plants keep up, Coaker’s team turned to using natural variation coupled with artificial intelligence specifically AlphaFold, a tool developed to predict the 3D shape of proteins and reengineered FLS2, essentially upgrading its immune system to catch more intruders.
Source : ucdavis.edu