Interesting Facts about Plants' Chemical Defenses

Juan Apolinario C. Reyes
One of the immediate defense mechanisms adopted by plants to stop microbial infection is hypersensitive response (HR). It is among the most marvelous adaptive strategies in nature, it deserves our special attention. To put it short, through HR plants stops invading microbial pathogens from infecting the larger parts of plant tissues by deliberately sacrificing infected cells in a process called apoptosis. 

During apoptosis, affected cells receive instruction from the plant’s DNA to begin self-destruction. Plant DNA contains resistance genes (R-genes) that give plants resistance to pathogens. An R-gene is a strand of protein whose structure evolved to fit pathogens. If pathogens come in contact with the plant, R-genes lock into the intruder like an enzyme locking into a substrate. 

Activation of R-genes triggers plant cells to produce a burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radicals, and nitrous oxides. ROS damages lipids of cell membranes. This results in the death of cells leaving behind a trace of lesions and blotches of dead cells on the surface of plant tissues.

This is just one of plants' many other chemical defenses. 



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