The art of mimicry: How a plant NLR outwits fungal effectors.

In a recent issue of Science, Gómez De La Cruz et al.1 describe that the barley immune receptor MLA3 recognizes a fungal effector by mimicking the binding interface of its host virulence target, expanding the concept of molecular mimicry and redefining NLR receptor evolution, as well as providing new insight into NLR engineering in crops.