Signaling networks underlying plant defense responses at individual and community level

Signaling networks underlying plant defense responses at individual and community level Rosa Rao Dipartimento di Agraria – Università di Napoli Federico II Reactions of plants to insect pests include the activation of a local and systemic defence response essentially based on transcriptional changes that are mainly controlled and coordinated by phytohormones. The attacked plant perceives the invading organism by recognizing herbivore-associated elicitors that selectively induce different defenceresponses. These latter are enhancedby endogenous plant molecules associated with plant damage (DAMP – Damage Associated Molecular Patterns), that include small peptides present in several plant species. Peptide DAMP are released from larger precursors and bindto membrane receptorsto activate signaling cascades that induce local and systemic immunity.The level of protectionis conferred by the deep transcriptomic modifications induced by insect damage,which underpin a wealth of metabolic changes. Beside producing new metabolites that are toxic or repellent for insect herbivores or that are able to recall their natural enemies, the metabolic profile of attacked plantscan alert neighboring con-specific plant and prime them for a more effective response against a stress agent present in the environment (defense priming). This presentation will focus on the role played by small peptides and their precursors in plant immunity activation and in plant–to-plant communication.