{
  "abstract": "The plant defence hormone salicylic acid (SA) triggers systemic acquired resistance by signalling through its receptor, NON-EXPRESSOR OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENE 1 (NPR1), leading to widespread transcriptional reprogramming1,2. However, the molecular mechanism by which NPR1 senses SA and activates transcription remains unresolved. Here we show that SA stabilizes the SA-binding domain (SBD) of NPR1 and allosterically promotes its interaction with MED15A, a subunit of the Mediator complex. Leveraging the NPR1 proxiome and AlphaFold structural predictions, we identify a direct interaction between NPR1 and the kinase-inducible domain interacting (KIX) domain of MED15A. We show that recombinant NPR1 recruits MED15A in an SA-dependent manner, and that MED15A binding reciprocally enhances the affinity of NPR1 for SA. Cryo-electron microscopy and hydrogen–deuterium exchange mass spectrometry reveal that SA and the MED15A KIX domain cooperatively potentiate NPR1-SBD for ternary complex formation by stabilizing its SA-binding core via separate interfaces. We further demonstrate that NIMIN1, a repressor of the SA–NPR1 pathway, antagonizes SA signalling by competing with MED15A for the same NPR1-SBD docking site and allosterically blocking hormone binding. In line with previous genetic evidence establishing a critical role of MED15A in SA signalling, our findings provide a mechanistic resolution to the longstanding question of how SA promotes transcriptional activation during plant immune responses.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA",
    "Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA",
    "Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 13,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Songwen Zhang",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9141-6201"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Madeline Gish"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Huan Li",
      "orcid": "0009-0001-0591-7745"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Thomas R. Hinds"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Haibin Mao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Moira Cornell",
      "orcid": "0009-0003-1422-8188"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Massi Silvetti"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Sydney Klucas",
      "orcid": "0009-0005-1208-9705"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Clint Vorauer"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Charlie C. Mundorff"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Smita Yadav"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Miklos Guttman",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2419-1334"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ning Zheng",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1039-1581"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1rc50gzwzh4ak.bib",
  "cited_by": 2,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41586-026-11021-5",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13736206/",
  "id": "1rc50gzwzh4ak",
  "issns": [
    "0028-0836",
    "1476-4687"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11021-5",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1110|Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7213436683",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13736206",
  "pmid": "42749801",
  "published": "2026-09-16",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1rc50gzwzh4ak.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-09T12:21:43Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13736206",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11021-5"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:1110|Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity",
      "subfield": "plant-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Transcriptional activation of plant immunity by salicylic acid",
  "title_text": "Transcriptional activation of plant immunity by salicylic acid",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T12:21:43Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1rc50gzwzh4ak",
  "venue": "Nature",
  "versions": []
}