How Plants Close their Gates when Microbes Attack
Like humans, plants protect themselves against pathogens. An international consortium under the lead of UZH professor Cyril Zipfel has now identified a long sought-after factor of this plant immune system: The calcium channel triggers the closure of stomata upon contact with microbes such as bacteria. This innate defense mechanism could help to engineer crop plants that are resistant to pathogens.
The research is a collaborative effort carried out under the lead of Swiss Plant Science Web member Prof. Cyril Zipfel and his team at the University of Zurich with other colleagues.
Reference publication
Kathrin Thor, Shushu Jiang et al.
The calcium-permeable channel OSCA1.3 regulates plant stomatal immunity.
Nature. 25 August 2020. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2702-1
Source
UZH Press Release