Chemical priming of plant defense responses to pathogen attacks

Plants can acquire an improved resistance against pathogen attacks by exogenous application of natural or artificial compounds. In a process called chemical priming, application of these compounds causes earlier, faster and/or stronger responses to pathogen attacks. The primed defense may persist over a stress-free time (lag phase) and may be expressed also in plant organs that have not been directly treated with the compound. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the signaling pathways involved in chemical priming of plant defense responses to pathogen attacks. Chemical priming in induced systemic resistance (ISR) and systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is highlighted. The roles of the transcriptional coactivator NONEXPRESSOR OF PR1 (NPR1), a key regulator of plant immunity, induced resistance (IR) and salicylic acid signaling during chemical priming are underlined. Finally, we consider the potential usage of chemical priming to enhance plant resistance to pathogens in agriculture.

Automated summary

Plants can enhance their resistance against pathogen attacks by applying natural or artificial compounds externally. This process, known as chemical priming, triggers earlier, faster, and/or stronger responses to pathogen attacks. The primed defense can last for a certain period without stress and can be observed in plant organs that have not been directly treated. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the signaling pathways involved in chemical priming for plant defense responses, with a focus on induced systemic resistance (ISR) and systemic acquired resistance (SAR). The roles of the transcriptional coactivator NONEXPRESSOR OF PR1 (NPR1), a key regulator of plant immunity, induced resistance (IR), and salicylic acid signaling during chemical priming, are discussed. Moreover, the potential application of chemical priming to enhance plant resistance to pathogens in agriculture is also considered.