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 115

Special Issue Editors

Department of Plant Pathology, College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Interests: molecular biology; plant pathology; phytopathology; plant disease resistance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Tropical Research and Education Center, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Florida, IFAS, Homestead, FL 33031, USA
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

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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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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

25 pages, 4016 KB  
Article
Transcriptomic Profiling Unravels the Molecular Mechanisms of GmCML-Mediated Resistance to Fusarium oxysporum in Soybean
by Runnan Zhou, Jia You, Jinrong Li, Xue Qu, Yuxin Shang, Honglei Ren and Jiajun Wang
Plants 2025, 14(20), 3222; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14203222 - 20 Oct 2025
Abstract
Fusarium oxysporum-induced root rot severely threatens global soybean production, yet limited understanding of resistance mechanisms constrains breeding progress. This study conducted comparative transcriptomic analysis between highly resistant (Xiaoheiqi) and susceptible (L83-4752) soybean accessions following pathogen inoculation across four time points (8–17 days [...] Read more.
Fusarium oxysporum-induced root rot severely threatens global soybean production, yet limited understanding of resistance mechanisms constrains breeding progress. This study conducted comparative transcriptomic analysis between highly resistant (Xiaoheiqi) and susceptible (L83-4752) soybean accessions following pathogen inoculation across four time points (8–17 days post-infection). RNA-seq analysis identified 1496 differentially expressed genes following pathogen challenge. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed significant enrichment in MAPK signaling pathway (12 genes) and plant–pathogen interaction pathway (13 genes). Eight genes co-occurred in both pathways, with GmCML (Glyma.10G178400) exhibiting the most dramatic differential expression among these candidates. This gene encodes a 151-amino acid calmodulin-like protein showing 185-fold higher expression in resistant plants at 17 days post-inoculation, confirmed by qRT-PCR validation. Functional validation through transgenic hairy root overexpression demonstrated that GmCML significantly enhanced disease resistance by coordinately activating antioxidant defense systems. Overexpression of GmCML in transgenic soybean enhanced resistance to F. oxysporum by modulating the activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, SOD; peroxidase, POD; catalase, CAT) and the accumulation of osmoregulatory substances (proline and soluble sugars). Population genetic analysis of 295 diverse soybean accessions revealed three GmCML haplotypes based on promoter region polymorphisms. Two favorable variants (Hap2 and Hap3) conferred significantly lower disease indices and exhibited evidence of positive selection during domestication, indicating evolutionary importance in disease resistance. This research provides the first comprehensive characterization of GmCML’s role in soybean–Fusarium interactions, establishing this calmodulin-like protein as a regulatory hub linking calcium signaling to coordinated defense responses. The identified natural variants and functional mechanisms offer validated targets for both marker-assisted breeding and genetic engineering approaches to enhance soybean disease resistance. Full article
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