Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.6
4.1
Journals
Plants
Special Issues
Plant Immunity and Disease Resistance Mechanisms
share announcement

Plant Immunity and Disease Resistance Mechanisms

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 June 2026 | Viewed by 6175

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Yi-Hsien Lin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
Interests: biological control; plant pests; fermentation; plant pathogenic bacteria; plant immunity; plant pathology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

The control of plant diseases has always been a critical issue in agriculture. Understanding how plants utilize their intrinsic defense systems to reduce pathogen infections is a fascinating process. Over the past two decades, the concept of plant immunity has been more comprehensively established. The process of plant immune response primarily involves the recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns or effectors by receptors inside and outside of plant cells, which subsequently activates the plant's defense pathways. The strength of the plant’s immune response often determines whether the plant can exhibit disease resistance. Furthermore, these defense pathways can also be triggered by molecules released from damaged plant tissues or by microorganisms in the plant’s growth environment. Exploring the diverse mechanisms that initiate plant defense pathways is of great significance, and bridging the gap between mechanistic research and practical applications remains a crucial aspect of agricultural science. 

This Special Issue aims to include manuscripts focusing on the processes from the activation of plant defense pathways to the manifestation of plant disease resistance, as well as studies related to the regulation of plant defense responses using microorganisms. Both fundamental research and applied research fall within the scope of this Special Issue. 

Prof. Dr. Yi-Hsien Lin
Guest Editor

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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

  • agricultural management
  • disease control
  • induced resistance
  • plant defense
  • plant immunity
  • plant–pathogen interactions

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

16 pages, 3335 KB  
Article
Molecular Cloning, Bioinformatics, and Expression Analysis of the NPR1 Homolog in Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)
by Mingfeng Yan, Xiaolin Zhao, Xingshen Li, Zhenrui He, Juling Hua, Lingen Wei, Yang Sun, Chuanxu Wan and Shuijin Huang
Plants 2025, 14(23), 3557; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14233557 - 21 Nov 2025
Viewed by 543
Abstract
Sesame bacterial wilt, caused by the pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum, is a major constraint for continuous cropping. Deciphering the defense mechanisms of sesame is therefore essential to the development of novel and effective control strategies. The Non-expressor of Pathogenesis-Related 1 (NPR1) plays a [...] Read more.
Sesame bacterial wilt, caused by the pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum, is a major constraint for continuous cropping. Deciphering the defense mechanisms of sesame is therefore essential to the development of novel and effective control strategies. The Non-expressor of Pathogenesis-Related 1 (NPR1) plays a key role in regulating salicylic acid (SA)-mediated systemic acquired resistance (SAR). In this study, we reported that leaf treatments with 50 μg/mL benzothiadiazole (BTH) resulted in increased protection of sesame against Ralstonia solanacearum. We clarified the structure, expression patterns, and function of a NPR1 homologous gene, SiNPR1, in sesame. The SiNPR1 gene open reading frame comprises 1758 bp, and it encodes 585 amino acids. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that SiNPR1 is closely related to NPR1-like in Olea europaea and clustered with other members of the families Monocotyledon and Dicotyledon. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) results demonstrated that the expression of the SiNPR1 gene was organ-specific and could be induced by BTH. The yeast two-hybrid assay confirmed that SiNPR1 directly interacts with SiTGA2. In conclusion, these results suggest that SiNPR1 plays a pivotal role in the BTH-dependent systemic acquired resistance in sesame. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Immunity and Disease Resistance Mechanisms)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 4614 KB  
Article
Phosphorylation of Plant Ferredoxin-like Protein Is Required for Intensifying PAMP-Triggered Immunity in Arabidopsis thaliana
by Tzu-Yi Chen, Rui-Wen Gong, Bo-Wei Chen and Yi-Hsien Lin
Plants 2025, 14(13), 2044; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14132044 - 3 Jul 2025
Viewed by 4211
Abstract
The immune response triggered when plant cell surface receptors recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) is known as PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI). Several studies have demonstrated that extracellular plant ferredoxin-like protein (PFLP) can enhance PTI signaling, thereby conferring resistance to bacterial diseases in various plants. [...] Read more.
The immune response triggered when plant cell surface receptors recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) is known as PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI). Several studies have demonstrated that extracellular plant ferredoxin-like protein (PFLP) can enhance PTI signaling, thereby conferring resistance to bacterial diseases in various plants. The C-terminal casein kinase II (CK2) phosphorylation region of PFLP is essential for strengthening PTI. However, whether phosphorylation at this site directly enhances PTI signaling and consequently increases plant disease resistance remains unclear. To investigate this, site-directed mutagenesis was used to generate PFLPT90A, a non-phosphorylatable mutant, and PFLPT90D, a phospho-mimetic mutant, for functional analysis. Based on the experimental results, none of the recombinant proteins were able to enhance the hypersensitive response induced by the HrpN protein or increase resistance to the soft rot pathogen Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum ECC17. These findings suggest that phosphorylation at the T90 residue might be essential for PFLP-mediated enhancement of plant immune responses, implying that this post-translational modification is likely required for its disease resistance function in planta. To further explore the relationship between PFLP phosphorylation and endogenous CK2, the Arabidopsis insertion mutant cka2 and the complemented line CKA2R were analyzed under treatment with flg22Pst from Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. The effects of PFLP on the hypersensitive response, rapid oxidative burst, callose deposition, and susceptibility to soft rot confirmed that CK2 is required for these immune responses. Furthermore, expression analysis of PTI-related genes FRK1 and WRKY22/29 in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway demonstrated that CK2 is necessary for PFLP to enhance flg22Pst-induced immune signaling. Taken together, these findings suggest that PFLP enhances A. thaliana resistance to bacterial soft rot primarily by promoting the MAPK signaling pathway triggered by PAMP recognition, with CK2-mediated phosphorylation being essential for its function. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Immunity and Disease Resistance Mechanisms)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

20 pages, 2559 KB  
Review
Integrative Roles of miRNAs and circRNAs in Plant Antiviral Gene Regulation and Autophagy
by Nurgul Iksat, Zhaksat Baikarayev, Oleksiy Shevchenko, Kuralay Zhanassova, Assemgul Bekturova, Sayan Zhangazin and Zhaksylyk Masalimov
Plants 2025, 14(22), 3541; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14223541 - 20 Nov 2025
Viewed by 862
Abstract
Agriculture is still at serious risk from viral infections, particularly in light of climate change and more intensive farming practices. Small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs), in particular microRNAs (miRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), have emerged as crucial post-transcriptional regulators of plant antiviral defense in [...] Read more.
Agriculture is still at serious risk from viral infections, particularly in light of climate change and more intensive farming practices. Small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs), in particular microRNAs (miRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), have emerged as crucial post-transcriptional regulators of plant antiviral defense in this setting. These molecules provide an essential RNA-based immunity layer by regulating hormones, autophagy, redox balance, immunological signaling, and programmed cell death. In this work, we examine the molecular processes through which circRNAs and miRNAs function during viral infection, focusing on how they affect autophagy and systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Through thorough searches of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, we combined findings from peer-reviewed experimental and transcriptomic studies. Our study covers important crops as well as model species (Arabidopsis thaliana, Nicotiana benthamiana), providing a thorough understanding of sRNA synthesis, target control, and antiviral signaling. By combining previously disparate data, this review provides a coherent framework for understanding how short RNAs affect plant immune responses to viral infections. We highlight key regulatory relationships that need further study and propose that these results can be used as a foundation for new RNA-based biotechnological approaches. By carefully altering RNA regulatory mechanisms, scientists can use this information to help them create more resistant crops. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Immunity and Disease Resistance Mechanisms)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop