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Article|19 Feb 2026|OPEN
Chloroplast-to-apoplast relocalization of MOC1 strengthens plant vascular immunity
Xinya Du1,2,3 , Yijie Liu1,2,3 , Sai Yuan1,2,3 , Pengyue Li1,2,3 and Yingshuang Liu3,4 , Yang Lin2 , Meng Yuan3,4 , Jiatao Xie1,2,3 , Jiangsen Cheng1,2 , Yanping Fu2 , Daohong Jiang1,2,3 , Xiao Yu1,2,3 , Bo Li,1,2,3 ,
1State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
2The Provincial Key Lab of Plant Pathology of Hubei Province, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
3Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
4National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
*Corresponding author. E-mail: boli@mail.hzau.edu.cn

Horticulture Research 13,
Article number: uhag046 (2026)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhag046
Views: 74

Received: 18 Nov 2025
Accepted: 09 Feb 2026
Published online: 19 Feb 2026

Abstract

Pathogenic bacteria deploy biofilm as a key virulence factor to cause plant vascular diseases, which are devastating to global agricultural practices. Extracellular DNA (eDNA) constitutes the backbone of bacterial biofilm and is key to biofilm stability, thereby representing as an attractive therapeutic target. Here, we engineered the plant chloroplast-localized Holliday junction (HJ) resolvase MOC1 by replacing its native chloroplast transit peptide with a secretory signal, successfully relocating it to the apoplast. Transgenic tomato and rice expressing secreted MOC1 exhibited robust resistance to bacterial wilt and bacterial blight, respectively, without growth or yield penalties. Additionally, we implemented bacterial pathogen-inducible promoters to achieve precisely spatial and temporal control over the resistance trait. Secreted MOC1 degrades eDNA in situ, disrupts biofilm architecture, and markedly reduces bacterial colonization and systemic spread. Our work presents a novel strategy for controlling vascular diseases by engineering plant HJ resolvases to disrupt biofilms. This approach provides a new blueprint for molecular resistance breeding and disease resistance gene exploration.