Transcriptome Reprogramming Associated with Autoimmunity Reveals Key Points of the Growth-Defence Trade-off in Arabidopsis thaliana

Growth and defence are inversely correlated processes requiring balance for optimal fitness. Using DANGEROUS MIX (DM) autoimmune plants with stunted growth in Arabidopsis thaliana, we investigated the balancing act through transcriptome analysis of three DM cases and identified two major modules representing defence and growth. Removing all three ADR1s (helper NLRs) reversed the expression patterns and shifted the trade-off balance, revealing ADR1s' dual role in enhancing immune responses and actively suppressing growth-related genes. Comparative transcriptome and chromatin accessibility analysis of autoimmune DM lines versus wild-type controls, with and without ADR1 triple knockout