Alleviating protein-condensation-associated damage at the endoplasmic reticulum enhances plant disease tolerance

Abstract

Disease tolerance is an essential defense strategy against pathogens, alleviating tissue damage regardless of pathogen multiplication. However, its genetic and molecular basis remains largely unknown. Here, we discovered that protein condensation at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) regulates disease tolerance in Arabidopsis against Pseudomonas syringae. During infection, Hematopoietic protein-1 (HEM1) and Bax-inhibitor 1 (BI-1) coalesce into ER-associated condensates facilitated by their phase-separation behaviors. While BI-1 aids in clearing these condensates via autophagy, it also sequesters lipid-metabolic enzymes within condensates, likely disturbing lipid homeostasis. Consequently, mutations in hem1, which hinder condensate formation, or in bi-1, which prevent enzyme entrapment, enhance tissue-damage resilience, and preserve overall plant health during infection. These findings suggest that the ER is a crucial hub for maintaining cellular homeostasis and establishing disease tolerance. They also highlight the potential of engineering disease tolerance as a defense strategy to complement established resistance mechanisms in combating plant diseases.