New (2015) plant immune system Ph.D. Thesis

“Plant pathogen defense: Signaling, resistance and cell death”

See:

https://gupea.ub.gu.se/bitstream/2077/38369/1/gupea_2077_38369_1.pdf

Omni Magazine, Jan. 1985
PLANT VACCINES

When the human body is attacked by an invading organism–a virus or bacterium–its immune system organizes itself to repel the attacker. Now a new piece of research from the University of California at Davis indicates that plants may respond in a similar way to invasion by pests.

Davis entomologists Richard Karban and James Carey placed 16 female spider mites on several cotton seedlings, leaving another group of seedlings mite-free. After five days the mites were killed with a Kelthane pesticide. Twelve days later a new batch of mites was introduced to the plants. After two more weeks the populations were counted. According to Karban and Carey, “fewer mites were found on plants that had been previously exposed than on unexposed controls.”

Karban thinks the presence of pests might generate what he calls a ‘wounding response’ in plants. This response in turn triggers the production of an unknown substance that, he says, ‘has the effect of inhibiting the subsequent population growth’ of the pest. If this is true, Karban and Carey speculate that ‘it may be possible to inoculate a plant’ against both pests and diseases.

Karban cautions that it will be some time before viable plant vaccines are available to farmers. First the experiments have to be duplicated under field conditions. Then, he says, ‘I’ve got to come up with some easier way to inoculate the plants. can’t expect cotton farmers to put mites on their plants and remove them every five days’–Bill Lawren

Trends in Genetics 17(1): 449-459 (1 Aug 2001)
RNA silencing as a plant immune system against viruses
Olivier Voinnet
The Sainsbury Laboratory, John Innes Centre, Colney, Norwich, UK NR4 7UH

‘RNA silencing’ refers to related processes of post-trancriptional control of gene expression found in plants, animals and fungi. A unifying feature of RNA silencing is that it mediates sequence-specific degradation of target transcripts, recruiting RNA molecules of 21–23 nucleotides as specificity determinants. In higher plants, RNA silencing serves as an adaptive, antiviral defence system, which is transmitted systemically in response to localized virus challenge. Plant viruses have elaborated a variety of counter-defensive measures to overcome the host silencing response. One of these strategies is to produce proteins that target the cell autonomous or signalling steps of RNA silencing. It is not known whether a similar antiviral mechanism also operates in animal cells.
http://booksc.org/book/14121510

Nature 444, 323-329 (16 November 2006)
The plant immune system
Jonathan D. G. Jones & Jeffery L. Dangl
Abstract: Many plant-associated microbes are pathogens that impair plant growth and reproduction. Plants respond to infection using a two-branched innate immune system. The first branch recognizes and responds to molecules common to many classes of microbes, including non-pathogens. The second responds to pathogen virulence factors, either directly or through their effects on host targets. These plant immune systems, and the pathogen molecules to which they respond, provide extraordinary insights into molecular recognition, cell biology and evolution across biological kingdoms. A detailed understanding of plant immune function will underpin crop improvement for food, fibre and biofuels production.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7117/full/nature05286.html

Karl, regarding the ‘wounding response’ the concept of plants building up a long term defense against attacks originated more or less at the same time by different research groups each of which called it a different name, but I think that now the name “systemic acquired resistance” (SAR) has been accepted.

The link below leads to a recent discussion: http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3039872/roses-grown-in-no-spray-gardens?n=29

Regarding RNA silencing for roses and viruses, I have written the following:

Henry,

I have also seen it described as ISR (induced systemic resistance). Then there is the related, but distinct, SAT (systemic acquired tolerance).

I have made up a small bibliography, and will add the links you provided later today.
http://bulbnrose.x10.mx/Heredity/King/PlantImmune.html

And this all ties in with SAS (systemic acquired silencing), which is one of the mechanisms involved in so-called graft hybridization.