Chapter 28 Plants in the Environment Flashcards
What pathogens affect plants?
fungi, bacteria, protists and viruses
What are the possible responses to pathogens from platns
Constitutive (always present)
Induced (produced in reaction presence of a pathogen)
What constitutive defences do plants have?
leaves and stems have cutin, suberin and waxes
Cells walls are barrer to pathogens
Some plants make chemicals that inhibit pathogens
What are elicitors?
molecules made by pathogens to trigger plant responses
- peptides from bactera
- fungal cell wall fragments
- derived from plant cell walls broken down by pathogens
What is general immunity triggered by
elicitors called pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPS_
What are PAMPs usually?
molecules produced by enire classes of pathogens - such as flagellin or chitin in gungal cell walls
What is specific immunity triggered by?
specific elicitors called effectors
- Effectors bind to R receptors to trigger response
What are the responses that elicitors and receptors bonding might trigger
- formation of NO and reactive oxygen species - toxic to some pathogens
- Polymer deposition - lignin can block plasmodesmata to limit the ability of pathogens to spread
- Hormone signalling
- Change in gene expression - upregulation of pathogenesis-related genes and genes encoding antimicrobial phytoalexins
What are Pathogenesis related proteins
Some are enzymes that break down pathogen cell walls
Others are alarm signals to cells that have not been attacked yet
What is Gene-for-gene resistance
When plant has genes that code for receptor that recognises elicitor that is coded by the Avr gene in pathogens
What are avirulence genes?
Avr genes are pathogen genes that encode for elictors
What are Resistance genes
R genes encode for receptors specific to one or a few elicitors
What happens if plants do not have a receptor for an elicitor?
Pathogen is not recognized and pant is susceptibe to invasion
What is a major goal of plant breeders regarding immunity?
To identify R and Avr genes and breed new R genes into crops to incrase pathogen resistance
What is the hypersensitive response in plants?
When cells around infection undergo apoptosis to prevent spread of pathogen - some produce phytoalexins that trigger surrounding cells to produce lignin to seal of plasmodesmata
What is systemic acquired immunity?
general increase in resistance of an entire plant to a range of pathogens
- Effect may last a growing season
What initiates systemic acquired immunity?
salicylic acid - which is produced in general and specific immunity
Is a signal to turn on other responses
How is Salicylic acid transported
In plant - to trigger production of PR proteins
Methyl salicylate is volatile and travels througgh the air. Can trigger production of PR proteins in neighbouring plants
How does systemic acquired resistance against RNA work?
Plants enzymes convert single stranded virus RNA into double stranded RNA and chop it into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs)
- siRNAs help degrade vial mRNAs - blocking replication
- siRNAs spread by plasmodesmata - providing systemic resistance
What is the most common herbivore?
Insects
What constitutive defences do plants have against herbivores?
Physical features - trichomes, thorns, spines, thick cell walls, tree bark
Some have insoluble salt crystals that damage insect cells?
What is the role of calcium oxalate in protecting plants from herbivores?
Insoluble salt crystal that damages insect tissues