Plant Defense Mechanisms Against Pathogens: Signaling Pathways, Genetic Foundations, and Biotechnological Innovations
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 20
Special Issue Editors
Interests: molecular biology; plant pathology; phytopathology; plant disease resistance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: emerging plant disease; detection and identification of invasive plant pathogen; etiology and epidemiology; integrated disease management; novel small molecules for disease management; metabolomics and transcriptomics of plant-pathogen interaction; abiotic stress impacting plant disease
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Plants are continually exposed to a diverse range of microbial pathogens, including fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, viruses, and nematodes. To survive these challenges, they have evolved sophisticated and multilayered defense systems, comprising pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI). These dynamic and robust mechanisms are essential for maintaining plant health and productivity.
This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of recent advances in the molecular and genetic signaling pathways that underpin plant defense responses to pathogen infection. It will also spotlight cutting-edge biotechnological innovations designed to enhance disease resistance in plants.
Topics covered may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Defense signaling pathways involving pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), receptor-like kinases (RLKs), nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) receptors, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades, calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs), transcriptional regulators, and secondary metabolites.
- Genomic and epigenetic approaches to understanding plant immunity, such as genome-wide association studies (GWASs), transcriptomics, small RNA analyses, and chromatin remodeling.
- Biotechnological strategies to strengthen plant immunity under pathogen stress, including CRISPR/Cas genome editing, gene pyramiding, transgenic technologies, microbial biocontrol agents, and synthetic biology tools for durable and broad-spectrum resistance.
We invite original research articles, reviews, and other scholarly contributions that advance our understanding of plant–pathogen interactions and foster interdisciplinary collaboration. This collection aims to inspire innovative approaches to sustainable agriculture, addressing global challenges in crop protection and food security while minimizing environmental impact.
Dr. Ye Xia
Prof. Dr. Shouan Zhang
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- plant defense mechanisms
- plant health
- signaling pathways
- genetic foundations
- biotechnological innovations
- food security
- sustainable agriculture
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