Cross talk in defense signaling

Abstract

Plants are equipped with an array of defense mechanisms to protect themselves against attack by herbivorous insects and microbial pathogens. Some of these defense mechanisms are preexisting, whereas others are only activated upon insect or pathogen invasion. Induced defense responses entail fitness costs. Therefore, plants possess elaborate regulatory mechanisms that efficiently coordinate the activation of attackerspecific defenses so that fitness costs are minimized, while optimal resistance is attained. Amajor focus in plant defense-signaling research is to uncover key mechanisms by which plants tailor their responses to different attackers and to investigate how plants cope with simultaneous interactions with multiple aggressors.