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Updated: Aug 3, 2025
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Author Spotlight: A Streamlined Approach to Studying Cell Death Initiation in Hypersensitive Response
Published on: November 10, 2023
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Two ways to die: Species dependent PCD modes in grapevine cells
Peijie Gong1, Islam M Khattab2, Andrzej Kaźmierczak3
1Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety, State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210014, China; Botanical Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Fritz-Haber-Weg 4, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany; Department of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
Summary
Programmed cell death (PCD) is a key part of plant immunity. This study shows plant cell death signaling is modular, with different pathways activated by distinct triggers, challenging old ideas about plant immunity.
Area of Science:
- Plant molecular biology
- Plant pathology
- Plant innate immunity
Background:
- Programmed cell death (PCD) is linked to plant immunity, but its role in basal immunity and the involvement of jasmonate signaling are unclear.
- Classical models separate PCD-dependent strain-specific immunity from PCD-independent basal immunity.
- Recent research questions this strict bifurcation and the role of jasmonate signaling in different immunity modes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the distinct roles of programmed cell death (PCD) in grapevine immunity.
- To clarify the involvement of jasmonate signaling in different plant immunity responses.
- To compare cellular, molecular, and metabolic responses to bacterial elicitors and hormonal triggers in contrasting grapevine cell lines.
Main Methods:
- Utilized two related grapevine cell lines (V. rupestris and V. vinifera cv. 'Pinot Noir') with differing cell death responses.
- Analyzed cellular (membrane integrity, mortality), molecular (gene expression for phytoalexin synthesis, metacaspases), and metabolic (sphingolipid profiles) changes.
- Investigated the roles of NADPH oxidases and class-II metacaspases (MC5).
Main Results:
- Observed qualitative differences in NADPH oxidase activity and MC5 transcript induction between the cell lines.
- Ruled out a significant role for sphingolipid metabolism in the observed responses.
- Demonstrated differential activation of cell death pathways by harpin and methyl jasmonate (MeJA).
Conclusions:
- V. rupestris shows harpin-induced hypersensitive cell death, likely due to co-evolution with pathogens.
- 'Pinot Noir' exhibits MeJA-induced cell death potentially unrelated to immunity.
- Plant immune signaling is modular, with metacaspase recruitment varying based on upstream signals.
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