scholarly journals The Plant-Stress Metabolites, Hexanoic Aacid and Melatonin, Are Potential “Vaccines” for Plant Health Promotion

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 415-427
Author(s):  
Anne J. Anderson ◽  
Young Cheol Kim
Keyword(s):  
Plant Defense ◽  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Plant Stress ◽  
Defense Responses ◽  
Hexanoic Acid ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Plant Metabolites ◽  
Protective Mechanisms ◽  
Stress Metabolites ◽  
Rapid Activation

A plethora of compounds stimulate protective mechanisms in plants against microbial pathogens and abiotic stresses. Some defense activators are synthetic compounds and trigger responses only in certain protective pathways, such as activation of defenses under regulation by the plant regulator, salicylic acid (SA). This review discusses the potential of naturally occurring plant metabolites as primers for defense responses in the plant. The production of the metabolites, hexanoic acid and melatonin, in plants means they are consumed when plants are eaten as foods. Both metabolites prime stronger and more rapid activation of plant defense upon subsequent stress. Because these metabolites trigger protective measures in the plant they can be considered as “vaccines” to promote plant vigor. Hexanoic acid and melatonin instigate systemic changes in plant metabolism associated with both of the major defense pathways, those regulated by SA- and jasmonic acid (JA). These two pathways are well studied because of their induction by different microbial triggers: necrosis-causing microbial pathogens induce the SA pathway whereas colonization by beneficial microbes stimulates the JA pathway. The plant’s responses to the two metabolites, however, are not identical with a major difference being a characterized growth response with melatonin but not hexanoic acid. As primers for plant defense, hexanoic acid and melatonin have the potential to be successfully integrated into vaccination-like strategies to protect plants against diseases and abiotic stresses that do not involve man-made chemicals.

scholarly journals Plant Defense Responses to Biotic Stress and Its Interplay With Fluctuating Dark/Light Conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahra Iqbal ◽  
Mohammed Shariq Iqbal ◽  
Abeer Hashem ◽  
Elsayed Fathi Abd_Allah ◽  
Mohammad Israil Ansari
Keyword(s):  
Plant Defense ◽  
Biotic Stress ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Defense Mechanism ◽  
Defense Responses ◽  
Light Environment ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Signaling Cascade ◽  
Dark Light ◽  
The Impact

Plants are subjected to a plethora of environmental cues that cause extreme losses to crop productivity. Due to fluctuating environmental conditions, plants encounter difficulties in attaining full genetic potential for growth and reproduction. One such environmental condition is the recurrent attack on plants by herbivores and microbial pathogens. To surmount such attacks, plants have developed a complex array of defense mechanisms. The defense mechanism can be either preformed, where toxic secondary metabolites are stored; or can be inducible, where defense is activated upon detection of an attack. Plants sense biotic stress conditions, activate the regulatory or transcriptional machinery, and eventually generate an appropriate response. Plant defense against pathogen attack is well understood, but the interplay and impact of different signals to generate defense responses against biotic stress still remain elusive. The impact of light and dark signals on biotic stress response is one such area to comprehend. Light and dark alterations not only regulate defense mechanisms impacting plant development and biochemistry but also bestow resistance against invading pathogens. The interaction between plant defense and dark/light environment activates a signaling cascade. This signaling cascade acts as a connecting link between perception of biotic stress, dark/light environment, and generation of an appropriate physiological or biochemical response. The present review highlights molecular responses arising from dark/light fluctuations vis-à-vis elicitation of defense mechanisms in plants.

Application of Chitosan in Plant Defense Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wasinee Pongprayoon ◽  
Thanapoom Siringam ◽  
Atikorn Panya ◽  
Sittiruk Roytrakul
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Plant Defense ◽  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Proteinase Inhibitors ◽  
Signal Transduction Pathway ◽  
Defense Responses ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Plant Defense Responses ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Stress

Chitosan, a copolymer of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and D-glucosamine, which possesses properties that make it useful in various fields, is produced by the deacetylation of chitin derivatives. It is used in agriculture as a biostimulant for plant growth and protection, it also induces several responsive genes, proteins, and secondary metabolites in plants. Chitosan elicits a signal transduction pathway and transduces secondary molecules such as hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide. Under biotic stress, chitosan can stimulate phytoalexins, pathogenesis-related proteins, and proteinase inhibitors. Pretreatment of chitosan before exposure to abiotic stresses (drought, salt, and heat) induces plant growth, production of antioxidant enzymes, secondary metabolites, and abscisic acid (ABA). It also causes changes in physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology of the plant cells. However, plant responses depend on different chitosan-based structures, concentrations, species, and developmental stages. This review collects updated information on chitosan applications, particularly in plant defense responses to biotic and abiotic stress conditions.

scholarly journals From Diverse Origins to Specific Targets: Role of Microorganisms in Indirect Pest Biological Control

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 533
Author(s):  
Frédéric Francis ◽  
Hans Jacquemyn ◽  
Frank Delvigne ◽  
Bart Lievens
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Plant Defense ◽  
Pest Management ◽  
Pest Control ◽  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Defense Responses ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Floral Nectar ◽  
Biological Pest Control ◽  
Pest Insects

Integrated pest management (IPM) is today a widely accepted pest management strategy to select and use the most efficient control tactics and at the same time reduce over-dependence on chemical insecticides and their potentially negative environmental effects. One of the main pillars of IPM is biological control. While biological control programs of pest insects commonly rely on natural enemies such as predatory insects, parasitoids and microbial pathogens, there is increasing evidence that plant, soil and insect microbiomes can also be exploited to enhance plant defense against herbivores. In this mini-review, we illustrate how microorganisms from diverse origins can contribute to plant fitness, functional traits and indirect defense responses against pest insects, and therefore be indirectly used to improve biological pest control practices. Microorganisms in the rhizosphere, phyllosphere and endosphere have not only been shown to enhance plant growth and plant strength, but also promote plant defense against herbivores both above- and belowground by providing feeding deterrence or antibiosis. Also, herbivore associated molecular patterns may be induced by microorganisms that come from oral phytophagous insect secretions and elicit plant-specific responses to herbivore attacks. Furthermore, microorganisms that inhabit floral nectar and insect honeydew produce volatile organic compounds that attract beneficial insects like natural enemies, thereby providing indirect pest control. Given the multiple benefits of microorganisms to plants, we argue that future IPMs should consider and exploit the whole range of possibilities that microorganisms offer to enhance plant defense and increase attraction, fecundity and performance of natural enemies.

scholarly journals An efficient direct screening system for microorganisms that activate plant immune responses based on plant–microbe interactions using cultured plant cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mari Kurokawa ◽  
Masataka Nakano ◽  
Nobutaka Kitahata ◽  
Kazuyuki Kuchitsu ◽  
Toshiki Furuya
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Plant Defense ◽  
Pseudomonas Syringae ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Plant Cells ◽  
Defense Responses ◽  
Root Tip ◽  
General Strategy ◽  
Plant Defense Responses ◽  
Microbe Interactions

AbstractMicroorganisms that activate plant immune responses have attracted considerable attention as potential biocontrol agents in agriculture because they could reduce agrochemical use. However, conventional methods to screen for such microorganisms using whole plants and pathogens are generally laborious and time consuming. Here, we describe a general strategy using cultured plant cells to identify microorganisms that activate plant defense responses based on plant–microbe interactions. Microbial cells were incubated with tobacco BY-2 cells, followed by treatment with cryptogein, a proteinaceous elicitor of tobacco immune responses secreted by an oomycete. Cryptogein-induced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in BY-2 cells served as a marker to evaluate the potential of microorganisms to activate plant defense responses. Twenty-nine bacterial strains isolated from the interior of Brassica rapa var. perviridis plants were screened, and 8 strains that enhanced cryptogein-induced ROS production in BY-2 cells were selected. Following application of these strains to the root tip of Arabidopsis seedlings, two strains, Delftia sp. BR1R-2 and Arthrobacter sp. BR2S-6, were found to induce whole-plant resistance to bacterial pathogens (Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 and Pectobacterium carotovora subsp. carotovora NBRC 14082). Pathogen-induced expression of plant defense-related genes (PR-1, PR-5, and PDF1.2) was enhanced by the pretreatment with strain BR1R-2. This cell–cell interaction-based platform is readily applicable to large-scale screening for microorganisms that enhance plant defense responses under various environmental conditions.

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