Plants can acquire enhanced resistance to pathogens following treatment with necrotizing attackers, nonpathogenic, root-colonizing Pseudomonads, salicylic acid, ß-aminobutyric acid (BABA) and numerous other natural or synthetic compounds. The induced resistance is often associated with an enhanced capacity to mobilize infection-induced, cellular defense responses, a process called ‘priming’. Although the phenomenon has been known for years, major progress in the understanding of priming was made only recently. These studies demonstrated that priming often depends on the induced disease resistance key regulator NPR1 (also known as NIM1 or SAI1), and they revealed a major impact of priming on the regulation of cellular plant defense responses.

We are studying BABA-mediated priming against biotic and abiotic stress in the model plant Arabidopsis as well as priming in grapevine (Vitis vinifera) against downy mildew caused by Plasmopara viticola.

From left: Jurri, Laurent (now in Dijon, F, barnavon@dijon.inra.fr), Jean-Marc, Hamid, Brigitte