Abstract

SANZON GOMEZ, Diana  and  ZAVALETA MEJIA, Emma. Hypersensitive Reaction, a Programmed Cell Death to Defend from Attack by Plant Pathogens. Rev. mex. fitopatol [online]. 2011, vol.29, n.2, pp.154-164. ISSN 2007-8080.

Programmed cell death (PCD) or "cellular suicide" occurs in all organisms as a normal process that takes place in an organized and perfectly regulated way, which is essential for the development and survival of the organisms and it is also expressed in response to biotic or abiotic stresses in animals, plants and unicellular organisms. The PCD is a genetically controlled cell death which requires an active participation of the organism and involves a sequence of cellular metabolic events that lead to the destruction of the cell. Currently, based upon the morphological characteristics that the dying cells display and in the kind of cellular organelle involved, three categories of PCD death have been defined: apoptosis, lysosomal death or autophagy ('self-eating'), and non-lysosomal death. The hypersensitive reaction (HR) is considered the maximum expression of plant resistance to pathogen attack and is defined as a fast death of the plant cells associated with the restriction of the pathogen growth, which usually is recognized by the presence of one or several brown-colored dead cells at the infection site. The death of cells that happens during the HR is considered a lysosomal type PCD or autophagy.

Keywords : Plant defense mechanisms; compatible and incompatible plant-pathogen interactions; necrosis; plant resistance.

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