Cell-type-specific activation of broadly perceived effector-triggered immunity restricts pathogen invasion in plants.

Cell-type-specific immune responses in Arabidopsis restrict pathogen invasion despite uniform effector-triggered immunity activation.

• Why it matters: Understanding how different plant cell types contribute to immune defense is crucial for developing strategies to enhance disease resistance, as current knowledge assumes uniform responses.
• What they did: Using chemically induced immune activation combined with single-cell transcriptomics, the study profiled ETI responses across leaf cell types, revealing divergent transcriptional outputs and specialized immune modules.
• The result: Findings show that immune responses are shaped by cell identity and chromatin state, with epidermis-specific regulators preventing pathogen entry, thus revealing a layered and spatially divided immune architecture.