Tomato protein Rx4 mediates the hypersensitive response to Xanthomonas euvesicatoria pv. perforans race T3.

Bacterial spot, which is caused by several Xanthomonas species, is an economically important disease in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Great efforts have been made for the identification of resistant sources and the genetic analysis of resistance. However, the development of resistant commercial varieties is slow due to the existence of multiple species of the pathogen and a poor understanding of the resistance mechanism in tomato. The current study revealed that the Rx4 gene encodes a nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat protein in the wild tomato species Solanum pimpinellifolium and specifically recognizes and confers a hypersensitive response (HR) to Xanthomonas euvesicatoria pv. perforans race T3 expressing the AvrXv3 avirulence protein. Complementation of the Rx4 gene in the susceptible tomato line Ohio 88119 using a transgenic approach resulted in HR, whereas knockout of the gene through CRISPR/Cas9 editing in resistant lines Hawaii 7981 and PI 128216 led to non-HR to race T3. Transcription of Rx4 was not induced by the presence of race T3. Furthermore, the Rx4 protein did not show physical interaction with AvrXv3 but interacted with SGT1-1 and RAR1. Virus-induced gene silencing of SGT1-1 and RAR1 in the resistant line PI128216 suppressed the HR to race T3. Taken together, our study confirms Rx4 is the gene conferring the HR to bacterial spot race T3 and reveals the potential roles of SGT1-1 and RAR1 as signals in the Rx4-mediated HR. This discovery represents a step forward in our understanding of the mechanism of resistance to bacterial spot in tomato and may have important implications for understanding plant-bacterial interactions.