Extreme resistance: The GLK-Rx1 alliance.

Plants immune surveillance systems depend on nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptors (NLRs). A subset of NLRs are nuclear-localized, including Rx1, which confers an extreme immunity against potato virus X (PVX). As with many NLRs, the downstream signaling partners of Rx1 are unknown. Townsend et al. identify a Golden-like transcription factor that interacts with Rx1 and mediates antiviral immunity, providing the first insights into the specificity factors that enable the nonspecific DNA-binding Rx1 to confer extreme resistance to PVX.