Molecular Pathogens 2024, Vol.15, No.5, 246-254 http://microbescipublisher.com/index.php/mp 252 triggered by TAL effectors from Xanthomonas, leading to the activation of defense mechanisms in the plant (Triplett et al., 2016; Pérez-Quintero et al., 2023). By combining these strategies, IDM aims to reduce the reliance on chemical treatments, minimize the risk of resistance development, and promote sustainable agricultural practices. 8 Future Directions in TAL Effector Research 8.1 Use of TAL effectors for crop engineering TAL effectors (TALEs) have shown significant potential in crop engineering due to their ability to precisely target and activate specific genes. This precision can be harnessed to develop crops with enhanced resistance to diseases. For instance, the identification of susceptibility (S) genes activated by TAL effectors in various crops, such as cassava and rice, provides targets for genetic modification to improve disease resistance (Cohn et al., 2016; Tran et al., 2018). The modular nature of TAL effectors, which allows for the customization of DNA-binding domains, makes them valuable tools in biotechnology for the development of disease-resistant crop varieties. Future research could focus on expanding the repertoire of known S genes and developing TAL effector-based strategies to either knock out these genes or modify their expression to confer resistance. 8.2 Synthetic biology approaches to modify TAL effector activity Synthetic biology offers innovative approaches to modify TAL effector activity for improved plant protection. By engineering TAL effectors with altered repeat variable diresidues (RVDs), researchers can create designer TAL effectors that target new sequences, potentially leading to the activation of beneficial genes or suppression of harmful ones. The development of synthetic TAL effectors that can act as dominant negative ligands, as seen with truncTALEs, could provide new ways to interfere with pathogen virulence mechanisms (Adlung et al., 2016; Read et al., 2016). These synthetic approaches could be further refined to enhance the specificity and efficiency of TAL effectors, making them more effective tools in plant biotechnology. 8.3 TAL effectors in sustainable disease management strategies Incorporating TAL effectors into sustainable disease management strategies could revolutionize agricultural practices. By understanding the mechanisms through which TAL effectors manipulate host plant physiology, such as the activation of phytohormone biosynthesis pathways to promote disease susceptibility, researchers can develop targeted interventions to disrupt these processes (Peng et al., 2019). The conservation of certain TAL effectors across different strains of pathogens suggests that these effectors could be universal targets for broad-spectrum disease resistance strategies. Integrating TAL effector research with traditional breeding and modern genetic engineering techniques could lead to the development of crops that are not only resistant to specific pathogens but also resilient to a range of environmental stresses, thereby promoting sustainable agriculture (Hummel et al., 2017; Xu et al., 2017). Acknowledgments We appreciate Dr Tan from the Hainan Institution of Biotechnology for her assistance in references collection and discussion for this work completion. Conflict of Interest Disclosure The authors affirm that this research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. References Adlung N., Prochaska H., Thieme S., Banik A., Blüher D., John P., Nagel O., Schulze S., Gantner J., Delker C., Stuttmann J., and Bonas U., 2016, Non-host resistance induced by the Xanthomonas effector XopQ is widespread within the genus Nicotiana and functionally depends on EDS1, Frontiers in Plant Science, 7: 1796. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.01796 Blanvillain-Baufumé S., Reschke M., Solé M., Auguy F., Doucouré H., Szurek B., Meynard D., Portefaix M., Cunnac S., Guiderdoni E., Boch J., and Koebnik R., 2016, Targeted promoter editing for rice resistance to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae reveals differential activities for SWEET14‐inducing TAL effectors, Plant Biotechnology Journal, 15(3): 306-317. https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.12613
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