role of sugar signaling in plant defense responses against fungal pathogens

• Published in: Acta physiologiae plantarum Vol. 36; no. 7; pp. 1607 - 1619
• Main Authors: Morkunas, Iwona, Ratajczak, Lech
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 2014; Springer Berlin Heidelberg
• Subjects: Agriculture; Biomedical and Life Sciences; cell walls; fungi; immune system; Life Sciences; lignification; pathogens; Plant Anatomy/Development; Plant Biochemistry; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Pathology; Plant Physiology; plant tissues; proteins; Review; sugars; Fungal pathogens; Plant defense responses; Plant immune system; Abiotic stress; Sugar signaling
• ISSN: 0137-5881; 1861-1664
• DOI: 10.1007/s11738-014-1559-z

In most fungal pathogen–plant systems, a high level of sugars in plant tissues enhances plant resistance. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the mechanisms of “high-sugar resistance”. Sugars constitute the primary substrate providing energy and structural material for defense responses in plants, while they may also act as signal molecules interacting with the hormonal signaling network regulating the plant immune system. Sugars enhance oxidative burst at early stages of infection, increasing lignification of cell walls, stimulate the synthesis of flavonoids and induce certain PR proteins. Some sugars act as priming agents inducing higher plant resistance to pathogens.