Matrix, reinvention in plants: how genetics is unveiling secrets of non-host disease resistance

Non-host (species level) resistance is a phenomenon that enables plants to protect themselves against the vast majority of parasitic microorganisms. More than three decades ago, induced accessibility experiments demonstrated that some non-host resistance is vulnerable to suppression. Plant genes that are crucial for such resistance are finally being discovered. By studying parasites that are fully equipped for penetrating a non-host such as Arabidopsis, researchers have begun to identify crucial plant genes that reveal inaccessibility and induced defense as complementary facets of nonhost resistance.