2026/06/19 by Gianluca Teano, alexandre roudaut, Ariane Gratias +1 · 1 voice
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Chromosomal and Genetic Variations #DNA Repair Mechanisms #Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity
paper · doi:10.1016/j.pbi.2026.102908
openalex publication_date 2026/06/19 · openalex created_date 2026/06/20 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
The paradox of recombination within NLR resistance gene clusters lies in the observation that these loci can exhibit either pronounced suppression or, conversely, unusually high rates of meiotic recombination, profoundly influencing allelic diversity and the evolutionary trajectory of plant immunity clusters. In recent years, progress in genome sequencing has provided novel insights into the breadth of structural variation at NLR clusters, shedding new light on these seemingly contradictory results. This review highlights recent technological advances that have enabled large-scale sequencing of complex NLR clusters, revealing previously hidden structural variation. We illustrate these findings with selected examples of NLR clusters from diverse plant species. Finally, we discuss the impact of structural variation on meiotic recombination within NLR clusters.