Plants cope with pathogen attacks by using mechanisms of resistance that rely both on preformed protective defenses and on inducible defenses. The latter are the most well studied, and progress is being made in determining which induced responses are responsible for limiting pathogen growth. Many plant-pathogen interactions are accompanied by plant cell death. Recent evidence suggests that this...

Understanding the mechanistic basis of why a certain pathogen causes disease in one host plant and not in another has long intrigued and motivated plant pathologists. Plants, in nature, are generally resistant to most pathogens. The ability of a pathogen to cause disease in a host plant is usually the exception, not the rule. This is because plants have an innate ability to recognize potential ...