The Strawberry Plant Defense Mechanism: A Molecular Review

Abstract

Strawberry, a small fruit crop of great importance throughout the world, has been considered a model plant system for Rosaceae, and is susceptible to a large variety of phytopathogenic organisms. Most components and mechanisms of the strawberry defense network remain poorly understood. However, from current knowledge, it seems clear that the ability of a strawberry plant to respond efficiently to pathogens relies first on the physiological status of injured tissue (pre-formed mechanisms of defense) and secondly on the general ability to recognize and identify the invaders by surface plant receptors, followed by a broad range of induced mechanisms, which include cell wall reinforcement, production of reactive oxygen species, phytoalexin generation and pathogenesis-related protein accumulation. Dissection of these physiological responses at a molecular level will provide valuable information to improve future breeding strategies for new strawberry varieties and to engineer strawberry plants for durable and broad-spectrum disease resistance. In turn, this will lead to a reduction in use of chemicals and in environmental risks. Advances in the understanding of the molecular interplay between plant (mainly those considered model systems) and various classes of microbial pathogens have been made in the last two decades. However, major progress in the genetics and molecular biology of strawberry is still needed to uncover fully the way in which this elaborate plant innate immune system works. These fundamental insights will provide a conceptual framework for rational human intervention through new strawberry research approaches. In this review, we will provide a comprehensive overview and discuss recent advances in molecular research on strawberry defense mechanisms against pathogens.

Effect of Pre-harvest Application of Hexanal and Growth Regulators in Enhancing Shelf Life and Regulation of Membrane Associated Genes in Strawberry

“…In the absence of a climacteric rise in respiration the development of the strawberry receptacle can be envisaged as a continuous process, encompassing overlapping phases of cell division, expansion, and senescence. As it turns red the receptacle becomes obviously senescent, easily damaged mechanically and as a result, shows little resistance to pathogen attack (Amil-Ruiz et al 2011). In the present study, we used two strawberry cultivars with different levels of firmness.…”

Purification and Characterization of AsES Protein

“…Furthermore, it is well documented that the increase of the expression of PR-1 is strongly associated with systemic acquired resistance activation in pathogen-challenged or elicitor-treated plants, whereas induction of glucanase and chitinase genes is closely related to systemic defense activation against a broad pathogen spectrum (60,61). Particularly, the induction of many PR genes has been reported in strawberry plants challenged by pathogens (62).…”

Natural elicitors of plant defense response in strawberry1

“…This experimental approach was used to analyse the pattern of gene expression of specific strawberry genes Fachi4.2 (JA1), Fapr10.4 (JA2), Fawrky1 (SJ3), and Fawrky70.1 (SA4), already known to be good markers of SAand JA-dependent signalling pathways [10], which were used as defense induced biomarkers in plants.…”

“…"Priming" is the phenomenon that enables cells to respond to very low levels of a stimulus in a more rapid and robust manner than non-primed cells [7][8][9]. The effect of "priming" includes accumulation of phytoalexins, increased gene expression and accumulation of defense-related proteins and response oxidative stress [10]. These parameters are useful molecular tools as they can be exploited as biomarkers of plant resistance induction for the screening of new defense-eliciting compounds.…”