Unfolding Plant Defence: Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Signalling at the Plant-Pathogen Interface.
Meng Z, Zheng S, Brandizzi F, Liu Y, Li C
Plant Signaling
PubMedEvery tomato blight, rose black spot, and wheat rust that ruins crops or gardens exploits gaps in exactly this plant immune pathway—understanding it opens the door to growing varieties that can fight back without heavy pesticide use.
Inside every plant cell is a compartment that acts like a protein factory and quality-control center. When a pathogen attacks, this compartment sounds an alarm that rallies the plant's immune system. Scientists have now mapped the full conversation between that alarm system and plant immunity, and discovered that many pathogens have evolved ways to silence the alarm—knowledge that could help breed tougher crops.
Key Findings
The unfolded protein response (UPR) integrates with at least three distinct layers of plant immunity—pattern-triggered immunity, effector-triggered immunity, and systemic defenses—making it a central immune hub rather than a peripheral stress response.
Two major plant hormones, salicylic acid and jasmonic acid, act as 'rheostats' that fine-tune the balance between ER stress signaling and immune activation, determining whether a plant resists or succumbs to infection.
Pathogens including bacteria, oomycetes, and viruses deploy specific virulence factors that directly target the sensors and transcription factors of the UPR, actively dampening this immune pathway to gain a foothold in the plant.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Plants have an internal quality-control system in a cellular compartment called the endoplasmic reticulum that, when stressed by pathogens, triggers immune defenses. This review maps how that stress response links to plant immunity—and how bacteria, fungi, and viruses have evolved tricks to shut it down.
Abstract Preview
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response, a conserved proteostasis network, has emerged as a central hub that reprograms plant immunity during pathogen attack. This review synthesises how pla...
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