Plant-pathogen interactions are shaped by a dynamic signaling crosstalk that often leads to an arms-race between plants and pathogens. The initial pathogenic invasion starts in the apoplast, which serves as a major battlefield. This extracellular space is a harsh environment enriched with hydrolytic enzymes such as proteases. Previously, an extracellular protease has been identified as […]
Plants have robust NLR (nucleotide-binding, leucine-rich repeat proteins) immune signaling networks consisting of sensor NLRs and helper NLRs that counteract diverse plant pathogens by inducing cell death at sites of pathogen infection. A recent preprint by Adachi et al. has defined an N terminal motif (MADA motif) that contributes to NLR-mediated cell death. By using […]
Calcium ions mediate calcium-based defense responses in pattern triggered immunity (PTI) upon detection of pathogen patterns by plant surface receptors. A new study by Tian et al. has elucidated the molecular events that activate the calcium response. The authors show that adequeate calcium nutrient status is required to trigger immune response. EMS mutagenesis screeing identified […]
Rice (Oryza sativa) is derived from breeding of perennial wild ancestors with long stalks and few seeds to short plants with enlarged panicles (inflorescences). Many known domestication changes are due to changes in transcription factors or modulation of enzymatic actions. Recent work by Swetha et al. profiled small RNAs from multiple indica rice lines together […]
Self Reflection Blog Series : For and by Early Career Scientists I do not see myself being particularly talented in negotiation since I grew up in a culture where a well-behaved is often rewarded with a certain degree of entitlement. Being modest and humble were the two virtual values emphasized during my early childhood education, […]
It is well known that upon pathogenic infections, plants defend themselves by emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as one of the defence strategies. This work by Cellini et al. aims to understand the biological relevance of these organic volatiles in the fire blight disease of apple caused by Erwinia amylovora (Ea). The authors performed […]
Guest Editor: Dr. Amey Redkar Amey is a postdoc at The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, UK and has been a Plantae Fellow since September 2017. He is working to understand the interaction of plants and pathogens during disease development. His current research which is funded by EMBO Long Term Fellowship focuses on pathogen Albugo candida, which […]
The fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae causes one of the most destructive diseases of rice, destroying around 10-30% of rice production world-wide. The pathogen undergoes different developmental changes and produce specialized infectious structures in order to rapidly proliferate within the host cells. The detailed molecular processes of how the fungus co-ordinates this complex infection pattern is […]
To understand disease development, effector research has mainly focused on the direct interaction of pathogen-derived molecules with plant host targets, or their sensing by surface or intracellular receptors. Recently, attention has turned to the plant microbiome and its key role in maintaining plant health. How microbial communities are manipulated by plant pathogens in sensing and […]