Molecular Pathways in Plant Immunity and Protection Against Stress

Dear Colleagues,

Plant pathogens threaten global food security by reducing agricultural productivity. Plants possess an innate immune system that protects them from pathogen attacks. Plant immunity consists of two interdependent and synergistic systems that confer resistance against pathogens. The first system, pattern-triggered immunity (PTI), is activated by pathogen-/damage-/microbe-/herbivore-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs/DAMPs/MAMPs/HAMPs), which are recognized by cell-surface pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). The second system, effector-triggered immunity (ETI), is activated by effectors—virulence molecules secreted by pathogens—that are recognized by intracellular nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat proteins (NLRs). Both PTI and ETI enhance defense gene expression and promote the accumulation of the phytohormone salicylic acid (SA), which mediates systemic acquired resistance (SAR). PRRs, NLRs, and their corresponding coreceptors form a complex immune receptor network. Understanding how this network functions is crucial for developing crops with durable resistance to diverse pathogens. Additionally, research has shown that the SA signaling pathway, a key component of plant defense, is negatively affected by elevated temperatures. This raises concerns about the impact of increasingly frequent and extreme heat waves, driven by climate change, on the effectiveness of plant immune responses. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the crosstalk between PRRs, NLRs, and SA signaling is essential for developing crops that are resilient to climate change and resistant to pathogens.

We welcome manuscripts using interdisciplinary approaches and advanced techniques to gain knowledge on the following aspects:

• Molecular mechanisms of plant–pathogen interactions;
• Molecular strategies for enhancing plant immunity;
• PRR-mediated immunity;
• NLR-mediated immunity;
• Induced resistance and defense priming;
• Using multi-omics to reveal plant immune responses;
• Salicylic acid signaling, calcium signaling, and ROS signaling in plant immunity;
• Pathogen perception and signaling;
• Resistance (R) genes.

Dr. Isabel Velada
Dr. Maria Doroteia Campos
Guest Editors

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• plant pathogens
• plant immune systems
• pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat proteins (NLRs), salicylic acid signaling
• crop production