At 3 AM Beijing time on November 8, 2024, the prestigious international journal Science published two significant research achievements from different teams at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences in a "back-to-back" format.

The research titled “A canonical protein complex controls immune homeostasis and multipathogen resistance” was collaboratively conducted by the team of Academician He Zuhua, Researcher Zhang Yu, Researcher Gao Mingjun from Fudan University, and Professor Deng Yiwen’s team from Zhejiang University.

The other paper, titled “Activation of a helper NLR by plant and bacterial TIR immune signaling,” comes from the team of Researcher Wan Li at the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences.

These two studies collectively reveal a novel immune activation mechanism mediated by the small molecule pRib-AMP and the protein complex EPA, which is conserved across different plants. This offers a new target for "biopesticide" development to combat plant diseases, and is of vital importance for promoting sustainable agricultural development in our country, protecting the ecological environment, and ensuring food security.