Unraveling the role of antimicrobial peptides in plant resistance against phytopathogens

Abstract

Abstract The current reports on phytopathogens multidrug resistance have become a significant issue for plant health and global food security. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have recently gained generous attention as potential alternatives to prevent plant disease resistance because of their potent, multifarious antimicrobial activity. AMPs are low-weight protein molecules. Living organisms secrete a wide range of AMPs, with some synthesised by canonical gene expression, known as ribosomal AMPs, and non-ribosomal AMPs, synthesised by modular enzyme-generating systems. Plants produce an array of AMPs, yet they are still unknown to many infection processes of causal agents. Plant-derived AMPs have a wide range of structures and functions, and they induce an innate immune system in plants. The biologically active AMPs in plants mainly depend on direct and indirect interactions with membrane lipids. Transgenic plants have expressed several AMPs, the basis for the model of new synthetic analogues, to provide support against diseases. These peptides have shown significant ability to manage plant diseases and can provide an eco-friendly alternative to hazardous conventional methods. Here, we have a comprehensive study on AMPs to identify their role in plant pathogen stress suppression activities and their mode of action. This would surely facilitate a bottomless insight into AMPs' mode of action against pathogen infections. An improved understanding of the mechanism will facilitate the development of the next generation of antimicrobial peptides, potentially employing a multitargeted approach.

Keywords

• Antimicrobial peptides
• Phytopathogens
• Diseases
• Plant resistance
• Transgenic plants