Scientists have identified a specific protein in plant cells that explains why plant immunity falters as temperatures rise, and they have also discovered a way to reverse the loss and bolster plant defences against the heat.
The results were reported on Arabidopsis thaliana, but Duke University biologist and corresponding author Sheng-Yang He said if the same results hold up in crops too, it would be welcome news for food security in a warming world.
Co-authors Danve Castroverde and Jonghum Kim identified that many of the required immune genes that were suppressed at elevated temperatures were regulated by the same molecule, a gene called CBP60g. The CBP60g gene acts like a master switch that controls other genes, so anything that downregulates or “turns off” CBP60g means lots of other genes are turned off, too – they don’t make the proteins that enable a plant cell to build up salicylic acid.
The findings could be good news for food supplies made insecure by climate change, said He. Global warming is making heat waves worse, weakening plants’ natural defences. But already, up to 40% of food crops worldwide are lost to pests and diseases each year, costing the global economy some $300 billion.
“We were able to make the whole plant immune system more robust at warm temperatures,” he added. “If this is true for crop plants as well, that’s a really big deal because then we have a very powerful weapon.”