Transcriptional activation of plant immunity by salicylic acid.
- Open access
Salicylic acid stabilizes NPR1 and enhances its interaction with MED15A, activating plant immunity through a specific molecular mechanism.
- Why it matters: Understanding how SA triggers transcriptional activation in plant defense is crucial for improving disease resistance, as the precise molecular details have remained unclear.
- What they did: The study used structural predictions, biochemical assays, cryo-electron microscopy, and mass spectrometry to show that SA stabilizes NPR1’s SA-binding domain and promotes its interaction with MED15A, forming a ternary complex.
- The result: This mechanism explains how SA induces transcriptional reprogramming in plant immunity, revealing targets for potential enhancement of disease resistance and clarifying the role of MED15A in SA signaling.