Verticillium wilts caused by soil-borne species of the Verticillium genus
are important plant diseases that affect a wide range of host plants and are
notoriously difficult to combat. In tomato, race-specific resistance to
Verticillium wilt is governed by the cell surface-localized immune receptor
Ve1 through recognition of the effector protein Ave1 that is secreted by
race 1 strains of Verticillium.

Previous studies have demonstrated that transgenic expression of tomato Ve1
in Arabidopsis thaliana leads to Verticillium wilt resistance. The team of
Yin song from Wageningen University in the Netherlands tested if tomato Ve1
can confer resistance when expressed in tobacco (Nicotiana tabaccum) and
cotton (Gossypium hirsutum).

Transgenic tobacco and cotton plants expressing tomato Ve1 exhibited
enhanced resistance against Verticillium wilt. This demonstrates the
functionality of tomato Ve1 in Verticillium wilt resistance through
recognition of the Verticillium effector Ave1.

These results suggest that transfer of tomato Ve1 across plant species can
be exploited in breeding programs to engineer Verticillium wilt resistance.

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