Role of Stomata in Plant Innate Immunity and Foliar Bacterial Diseases

2008/04/18 by Maeli Melotto, William Underwood, Sheng Yang He · 735 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Arabidopsis #Bacteria #Biology #Botany #Coronatine #Immune system #Immunology #Innate immune system #Microbiology #Pathogen #Phyllosphere #Plant Immunity #Plant Parasitism and Resistance #Plant Pathogenic Bacteria Studies #Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity #Pseudomonas syringae #Virulence

paper · open access · doi:10.1146/annurev.phyto.121107.104959

published in Annual Review of Phytopathology 46(1), 101-122 (Annual Reviews)

openalex publication_date 2008/04/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

Pathogen entry into host tissue is a critical first step in causing infection. For foliar bacterial plant pathogens, natural surface openings, such as stomata, are important entry sites. Historically, these surface openings have been considered as passive portals of entry for plant pathogenic bacteria. However, recent studies have shown that stomata can play an active role in limiting bacterial invasion as part of the plant innate immune system. As a counter-defense, the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 uses the virulence factor coronatine to actively open stomata. In nature, many foliar bacterial disease outbreaks require high humidity, rain, or storms, which could favor stomatal opening and/or bypass stomatal defense by creating wounds as alternative entry sites. Further studies on microbial and environmental regulation of stomatal closure and opening could fill gaps in our understanding of bacterial pathogenesis, disease epidemiology, and microbiology of the phyllosphere.

Citations

• Bacterial Colonization of Leaves: A Spectrum of Strategies
• Bacterial disease resistance in Arabidopsis through flagellin perception
• Contrasting Mechanisms of Defense Against Biotrophic and Necrotrophic Pathogens
• TYPE III SECRETION SYSTEM EFFECTOR PROTEINS: Double Agents in Bacterial Disease and Plant Defense
• The plant immune system

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• Single-cell profiling of Arabidopsis leaves to Pseudomonas syringae infection
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• Systemic stomatal immunity: A rapid gate‐closing circuit unveiled in plants
• Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000: A Model Pathogen for Probing Disease Susceptibility and Hormone Signaling in Plants
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• Ecology and Epidemiology of Foliar Bacterial Plant Pathogens
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