Scientists at Iowa State University (ISU) have identified a genetic pathway
that influences both plant growth and disease resistance. The research group
has focused on the protein Feronia, a receptor kinase protein found in plant
cells.

When plants are attacked by bacterial pathogens, a substance called
coronatine from these pathogens uses the jasmonic acid system inside the
plant cells to suppress the plant's disease response, making the plant more
susceptible to disease. The research shows that Feronia detects the
pathogen's attempts to hijack the jasmonic acid system and diminish a
protein called MYC2 to fight off the disease. As the bacterial pathogen
tries to trick the plant, the Feronia protein sees through the ploy and
counteracts the pathogen.

Yanhai Yin, ISU professor and chair of genetics, development and cell
biology and corresponding author of the paper, said the positive association
Feronia shares with growth and disease response means it has great potential
to be targeted by plant breeders who want to develop crops that can
withstand disease without sacrificing growth. Yin said growth and disease
resistance are often thought of as competing factors that plant breeders
must balance.

[www.news.iastate.edu]