Plant Immune Mechanisms

Dear Colleagues,

Plants have different mechanisms that provide resistance to pathogen attack since they are capable of recognizing and distinguishing what is self from what is not self. This ability to discriminate self from non-self is a prerequisite for the activation of defense mechanisms after an attempted invasion of pathogens. Plants express pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that recognize molecular patterns associated with pathogens or microorganisms (PAMPs or MAMPs, for Pathogen- or Microbial-Associated Molecular Patterns) and trigger immunity via PAMPs (PTI, PAMP-Triggered Immunity). MAMP is most commonly used in plants since not all microbes are pathogenic. This response is usually temporarily slow and of low amplitude. This defense is considered basal and does not prohibit colonization by the host nor limit the extent of its spread. A second line of defense mediated by resistance (R) proteins allows recognition of pathogen-specific molecules (avirulence proteins, Avr) and triggers effector-triggered immunity (ETI). In this sense, the action of the R proteins would allow for accelerating and eliciting the basal innate defense response. In addition, the immune response to endogenous signals originating from damaged or stressed cells is emerging as a crucial role of the immune system. Endogenous molecules, eliciting activity released from cellular components during pathogen attack or abiotic stress, have been defined as danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). To be efficient, these signals should be pre-triggered or inducible. Any molecule found exclusively inside cells could serve as a pre-made alarm signal. The aim of this Special Issue is to highlight recent advances in the understanding of mechanisms of plant defense response by elucidating immune activation mechanisms and by illustrating plant molecular and physiological mechanism functioning. Multidisciplinary approaches able to describe the function and regulation of the plant immune system are welcome. Researchers can contribute original research findings and review and perspective articles to this issue.

Dr. Marina Clemente
Dr. Fernando Luis Pieckenstain
Dr. Sebastian Pablo Rius
Guest Editors

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