Autophagy Is the Emerging Role in Plant Defense against Pathogen Attack

Chetan S Janawad, Jyothi G, Ma

Abstract

Plants and plant-associated microorganisms including phytopathogens have to adapt to drastic changes in environmental conditions. Because of their immobility, plants must cope with various types of environmental stresses such as starvation, oxidative stress, drought stress and invasion by phytopathogens during their differentiation, development, and aging processes. Autophagy regulates senescence and pathogen-induced cell death in plants and autophagy and pexophagy play critical roles in differentiation and the invasion of host cells by phytopathogenic fungi. Ancient autophagy pathways are emerging as key defense modules in host eukaryotic cells against microbial pathogens.