The warfare for plant highway: vascular plant-microbe interaction pinpoints lignin.
Gan AiDong-Lei YangDaolong DouPublished in: Stress biology (2022)
Plant vascular pathogens are one kind of destructive pathogens in agricultural production. However, mechanisms behind the vascular pathogen-recognition and the subsequent defense responses of plants are not well known. A recent pioneering study on plant vascular immunity discovered a conserved MKP1-MPK-MYB signaling cascade that activates lignin biosynthesis in vascular tissues to confer vascular resistance in both monocot rice and the dicot Arabidopsis. The breakthrough provides a novel view on plant immunity to vascular pathogens and offers a potential strategy for the future breeding of disease-resistant crops.