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Poster

Session: Session 1 Presenting Authors at Posters (Evens)

P-434 - Can AI modelling of protein structures distinguish between sensor and helper NLR immune receptors?

Tuesday, July 15, 2025
09:55 - 11:30  
Location: Confex Hall 3
Structure Informed Synthetic Biology: From Design to Function

NLR proteins are intracellular immune receptors present across all kingdoms of life, with exceptional diversification in plants. In plant immunity, paired NLRs consist of sensors, which detect pathogens, and helpers, which execute immune responses. However, the classification of these paired NLRs has conventionally depended on the presence of non-canonical integrated domains, which are absent in helper NLRs. Here, we propose that the AI system AlphaFold 3 can classify paired NLR proteins into sensor or helper categories based on predicted structural characteristics. Helper NLRs showed higher AlphaFold 3 confidence scores than sensors when modelled in oligomeric configurations. Furthermore, funnel-shaped structures—essential for activating immune responses—were predicted in helpers but not in sensors. These approaches could overcome the limitations of sequence-based annotation methods and provide new insights into the structural and functional organization of immune receptors.