PAMPs, MAMPs, DAMPs and others: an update on the diversity of plant immunity elicitors

Abstract

Plants possess a broad array of defenses that could be actively expressed in response of pathogenic organisms or parasites but also following beneficial saprophytic microorganisms recognition. Specifically, there are compounds derived from these organisms and called elicitors that are perceived by the plant to induce a locally or systemically expressed resistance. The understanding of the physiological and biological basis of these induced immunity mechanisms have greatly advanced over the past years but a deeper investigation of the mechanisms underlying the perception of elicitors is essential to develop novel strategies for pest control. The application of chemical and biological stimulators of plant immune defenses in conventional agriculture is expected to increase within the next years. Because of their organic origin and as they provide means for conferring plant protection in a non-transgenic manner, elicitors of plant immunity have a huge potential as biocontrol products. Through this review, we want to illustrate the diversity of compounds identified as stimulators of the plant immune system and describe the mechanisms by which they could be recognized at the plasma membrane level.

Keywords

• Immunity
• pest resistance
• defense mechanisms
• elicitors