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Advances of Peptides for Plant Immunity

Summary

Plant peptides are small signaling molecules that help plants defend themselves against diseases and pests. These peptides can work by directly killing pathogens or by activating the plant’s immune system. Researchers have identified over 1000 different plant peptides, and this review explains how they work and how they could be used to create disease-resistant crops and natural biopesticides.

Background

Plant peptides function as critical signaling molecules in plant defense systems, playing pivotal roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. Since the discovery of systemin in 1991, over 1000 small peptides have been identified in Arabidopsis thaliana, with their biological functions gradually being elucidated. Plant peptides offer unique advantages such as high specificity, stability, and suitability for genetic engineering compared to traditional antimicrobial compounds.

Objective

This review synthesizes current knowledge of plant peptides involved in immunity, providing a detailed classification of immunity-related plant polypeptides and discussing their mechanisms in conferring disease resistance. The review explores potential agricultural applications of plant peptides, including development of novel biopesticides and enhancement of crop disease resistance through genetic engineering.

Results

The review identifies multiple peptide families with distinct roles in plant immunity, including CLE peptides that regulate senescence and nematode responses, CEP peptides that trigger immune responses, PSK peptides with dual roles in bacterial versus necrotrophic pathogen resistance, and antimicrobial peptides with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities. Plant peptides operate through pattern-triggered immunity (PTI), effector-triggered immunity (ETI), and hormone-mediated defense pathways.

Conclusion

Plant peptides represent versatile regulators integrating direct pathogen inhibition and systemic immune signaling networks. Future research should clarify peptide-receptor signaling mechanisms, develop peptide-based biopesticides, and employ multidisciplinary approaches combining bioinformatics, structural biology, and synthetic biology to enhance crop disease resistance sustainably.
  • Published in:Plants (Basel),
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: PMID: 40805801, DOI: 10.3390/plants14152452
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