Plant Immunity

Molecular Plant Immunity provides an integrated look at both well-established and emerging concepts in plant disease resistance providing the most current information on this important vitally important topic within plant biology. Understanding the molecular basis of the plant immune system has implications on the development of new varieties of sustainable crops, understanding the challenges plant life will face in changing environments, as well as providing a window into immune function that could have translational appeal to human medicine. Molecular Plant Immunity opens with chapters reviewing how the first line of plant immune response is activated followed by chapters looking at the molecular mechanisms that allow fungi, bacteria, and oomycetes to circumvent those defenses. Plant resistance proteins, which provide the second line of plant immune defense, are then covered followed by chapters on the role of hormones in immunity and the mechanisms that modulate specific interaction between plants and viruses. The final chapters look at model plant-pathogen systems to review interaction between plants and fungal, bacterial, and viral pathogens. Written by a leading team of international experts, Molecular Plant Immunity will provide a needed resource to diverse research community investigated plant immunity.

The volume III of the book presents the ways and means to manipulate the signals and signaling system to enhance the expression of plant innate immunity for crop disease management. It also describes bioengineering approaches to develop transgenic plants expressing enhanced disease resistance using plant immunity signaling genes. It also discusses recent commercial development of biotechnological products to manipulate plant innate immunity for crop disease management. Engineering durable nonspecific resistance to phytopathogens is one of the ultimate goals of plant breeding. However, most of the attempts to reach this goal fail as a result of rapid changes in pathogen populations and the sheer diversity of pathogen infection mechanisms. Recently several bioengineering and molecular manipulation technologies have been developed to activate the ‘sleeping’ plant innate immune system, which has potential to detect and suppress the development of a wide range of plant pathogens in economically important crop plants. Enhancing disease resistance through altered regulation of plant immunity signaling systems would be durable and publicly acceptable. Strategies for activation and improvement of plant immunity aim at enhancing host’s capability of recognizing invading pathogens, boosting the executive arsenal of plant immunity, and interfering with virulence strategies employed by microbial pathogens. Major advances in our understanding of the molecular basis of plant immunity and of microbial infection strategies have opened new ways for engineering durable resistance in crop plants.

This book presents the ways and means to switch on plant immune signaling systems using PAMP-PIMP-PRR signaling complex for crop disease management. It also describes bioengineering approaches to develop transgenic plants expressing enhanced disease resistance using genes encoding PAMPs, PRRs and transcription factors and genes involved in generation of PIMPs/HAMPs. It also discusses recent commercial development of PAMP products to switch on plant innate immunity for crop disease management. These unique approaches have been described with more than 100 figures and illustrations and these would make this book attractive for researchers and students to buy this book.

An Introduction to Plant Immunity is a comprehensive guide to plant immunology and stress response. The book covers the topic in 21 detailed chapters, starting from an introduction to the subject to the latest knowledge about plant disease resistance. The topics covered in the book include plant pathogens, plant diseases, plant immunity, passive defense mechanisms, acquired resistance, molecular genetics of plant immunology, protein function and genetic engineering. Each chapter provides a reader-friendly introduction along with clear sections detailing each topic. Additionally, detailed references for further reading are also provided. The combination of basic and advanced information on plant immunity make this book an essential textbook for students in botany and plant biology courses. Researchers interested in plant genomics and the effects of environmental and microbial interactions on plants will also benefit from this informative reference.

Molecular Plant Immunity provides an integrated look at both well-established and emerging concepts in plant disease resistance providing the most current information on this important vitally important topic within plant biology. Understanding the molecular basis of the plant immune system has implications on the development of new varieties of sustainable crops, understanding the challenges plant life will face in changing environments, as well as providing a window into immune function that could have translational appeal to human medicine. Molecular Plant Immunity opens with chapters reviewing how the first line of plant immune response is activated followed by chapters looking at the molecular mechanisms that allow fungi, bacteria, and oomycetes to circumvent those defenses. Plant resistance proteins, which provide the second line of plant immune defense, are then covered followed by chapters on the role of hormones in immunity and the mechanisms that modulate specific interaction between plants and viruses. The final chapters look at model plant-pathogen systems to review interaction between plants and fungal, bacterial, and viral pathogens. Written by a leading team of international experts, Molecular Plant Immunity will provide a needed resource to diverse research community investigated plant immunity.

Plants constantly face many kinds of abiotic and biotic stresses. One of the major threats is from many plant fungal, oomycete, viral, bacterial and nematode pathogens. Plant diseases caused by these pathogens reduce crop yield by 10-15% worldwide every year. Throughout the human history, plant diseases are responsible for many famines including the infamous Irish Potato Famine. Besides the negative impact on the yield, the quality of the infected crop will be adversely affected and the toxins produced by plant pathogens pose threat to human health. During the co-evolution between plants and pathogens, plants developed elegant defense system against pathogen infection and plant pathogens deploy a variety of strategies to suppress plant innate immunity. A deeper understanding the molecular mechanisms on the activation of plant defense in plants and suppression of plant defense by plant pathogens will be crucial to develop effective ways to minimize the detrimental effects from plant diseases on human beings. This Research Topic aims to increase our understanding on the molecular interactions between plants and pathogens.