The transcription factor AtMYC2 shapes plant defense responses in Arabidopsis upon Pieris rapae herbivory

Abstract

Plants have to cope with a variety of biotic stresses, including insect herbivory and pathogen attack. To minimize damage caused by pathogen or insect attack, plants have evolved sophisticated defense mechanisms. Hormones such as jasmonic acid (JA), ethylene (ET), salicylic acid (SA), and abscisic acid (ABA) are important players for determining the proper defense mechanism by the plant. To understand how plants integrate pathogen- and insect-induced signals into specific defense responses, we monitored the dynamics of SA, JA, and ET signaling in Arabidopsis after attack by a set of microbial pathogens and herbivorous insects with different modes of attack.