WRKY transcription factors enhance plant defense responses against viral pathogens: a review
Leila Mirzaei
A * , Sakineh Abbasi B and Mohammad Fazli C
A
B
C
Abstract
Viral diseases, representing the most frequent emerging infectious diseases in plants by causing significant economic losses in agricultural production. Investigating tripartite interactions among plants, pathogens and biological resistance inducers is essential for understanding plant immune system. In plant-virus interactions, resistance often depends on the fast upregulation of defense responses. Several molecular pathways and specific transcription factors (TFs) were regulated, leading to gene expression changes that result in the synthesis of effector proteins and metabolites conferring resistance against viral diseases. Upon virus detection, multiple signaling cascades are activated, ultimately causing transcriptional reprogramming in plant cells. This process is modulated by various TFs, including the WRKY family that are involved in defense mechanisms. This family has been identified across multiple plant species. In this review we examine the role of the WRKY gene family in regulating plant defense responses against viral pathogens.
Keywords: plant defense, plant immune system, plant virus, transcription factors, WRKY.
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