The progress in plant pathology: Links between HR and small RNA

Kogel, Karl-Heinz and Barna, Balázs and Király, Lóránt (2025) The progress in plant pathology: Links between HR and small RNA. ACTA PHYTOPATHOLOGICA ET ENTOMOLOGICA HUNGARICA, 60 (2). pp. 96-106. ISSN 0238-1249

Preview

Text KogelActa.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (529kB) | Preview

Abstract

On the occasion of the centenary of our friend and colleague Zoltán Király—one of the most influential plant pathologists of the 20th century—we revisit a question inspired by his pioneering work at the Plant Protection Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences: how is the hypersensitive response (HR), a cornerstone of plant immunity and one of Király's, scientific passions, mechanistically linked to one of the most current topics in plant pathology — the role of small RNAs (sRNAs) in plant defence against microbial pathogens? For the past decade, our laboratory at the Justus Liebig Universität Giessen and more recently at the CNRS Strasbourg has investigated RNA-mediated mechanisms underlying plant resistance to pathogenic microorganisms and pests, including aphids, fungi and viruses (Liu et al., 2020). This research coincides with the emergence of the first RNA-based bioprotectants, particularly double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), now commercially available for controlling insect pests (Wenninger et al., 2025). Yet, despite these advances, our understanding of how sRNAs directly influence plant immune responses, including HR, remains limited. In this short letter we give a schematic overview on the current knowledge on the topic.

Actions (login required)

Edit Item