Strategic Manipulation of Pathogen Recognition Receptors in Plants for Efficient Perception of Fungal Pathogens: Benefits and Risks
摘要
The sessile nature of the plants compels them towards constant biotic and abiotic threat exposures throughout their life cycles. Increasing xenobiotic activity and rapid climate change have deteriorated the stress situation even more. Altered climatic conditions not only increase abiotic stress but also changes the behavior of existing pathogens causing emergence of new diseases. Compared to the wild plant population, crop plants are more severely impacted by these stresses, which significantly reduce potential yield. Additionally, population outburst further exacerbates the condition. In this situation, it is a major challenge for plant scientists to improve yield of crop plants to ensure food security despite all odds. Fungal invaders are the major group of pathogens responsible for substantial economic loss across the globe annually. Although many approaches have been taken to contain the spread of the diseases, e.g., the introduction of resistance genes, transgenic plants overexpressing gene of interest, crossing with the resistant varieties, targeted mutagenesis, etc., in most of these cases, resistance is either not optimum or lost with successive generations. Hence, a multifaceted approach that augments the plants’ inherent immunomodulatory pathways may provide a stable resistance. Pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) or microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) are conserved molecular structures recognized by cognate host receptors, like pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). This PAMP-PRR interaction is a prerequisite for the activation of plant immune signaling. Hence, modifying or engineering these receptors may provide an effective and robust resistance mechanism against a wide array of pathogenic groups. Although this study is in its very infancy, the present chapter tries to convey a comprehensive outlook for PAMP-PRR interaction, particularly for the fungal pathogens, and it also highlights their potential role in the improvement of disease resistance in plants.