Plants have developed a complex defense system against diverse pests and pathogens.
Once pathogens overcome mechanical barriers to infection, plant receptors initiate signaling …

Eukaryotic small RNAs (sRNAs) are short non-coding regulatory molecules that induce RNA
interference (RNAi). During microbial infection, host RNAi machinery is highly regulated and …

Epigenetic modifications in DNA bases and histone proteins play important roles in the
regulation of gene expression and genome stability. Chemical modification of DNA base …

Viral diseases of plants are associated with large health and economic costs. Antiviral
agents developed for mammalian organisms have had limited success for plants …

Interactions between fungi and plants, including parasitism, mutualism, and saprotrophy,
have been invoked as key to their respective macroevolutionary success. Here we evaluate …

Potyviruses (viruses in the genus Potyvirus, family Potyviridae) constitute the largest group
of known plant-infecting RNA viruses and include many agriculturally important viruses that …

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) has developed into an indispensable approach to
gene function analysis in a wide array of species, many of which are not amenable to stable …

RNA silencing is a homology-dependent gene inactivation mechanism that regulates a wide
range of biological processes including antiviral defense. To deal with host antiviral …

Next to numerous abiotic stresses, plants are constantly exposed to a variety of pathogens
within their environment. Thus, their ability to survive and prosper during the course of …

Contents Summary 70 I. Introduction 70 II. Ancient associations between plants and
microbes 72 III. Evolutionary dynamics of plant–pathogen interactions 74 IV. Evolutionary …