plant-disease-resistance
Plant disease resistance encompasses the mechanisms by which plants defend themselves against pathogens, including pre-formed physical and chemical barriers as well as active immune responses triggered by infection. Understanding these defense pathways is fundamental to plant biology, as they determine whether a plant can suppress pathogen growth or succumb to disease. Research in this field drives advances in crop protection, helping scientists develop plants with durable, broad-spectrum resistance to reduce agricultural losses.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-05-01
Scientists identified a gene in tobacco — NtMYB308 — that acts as a molecular brake on the plant's ability to make protective pigments (anthocyanins) and structural woody compounds (lignin). Knocking out this gene with CRISPR boosted both defenses and improved the plant's ability to resist fungal infection.
NtMYB308 carries a specialized repression domain (EAR motif) that physically shuts off genes for both anthocyanin pigment and lignin production in the same pathway
Virus-induced silencing of NtMYB308 confirmed it suppresses the phenylpropanoid pathway, the shared factory that produces pigments, lignin, and many other plant defenses
CRISPR/Cas9 knockout tobacco plants lacking NtMYB308 showed elevated anthocyanin and lignin levels alongside measurably improved resistance to fungal pathogens
