The first (1) finding of this paper is convincing, although shown in a previous publication (Qi et al 2018). The results from the second (2) line of experimentation are more preliminary, with open questions stemming from a lack of adequate controls. The final (3) finding of this paper is underdeveloped, and further experimental validation is required to suggest that NRG1 represents, “a link between PAMP and effector-triggered immunity” as stated in the title.