Changes in AA-GSH cycle activity following Botrytis cinerea infection were studied in tomato whole-leaf extracts as well as in chloroplasts, mitochondria, and peroxisomes. The oxidative effect of infection affected all cellular compartments although mitochondria and peroxisomes underwent the most pronounced changes. Apart from organelle-specific variations, a general shift of the cellular redox balance towards the oxidative state was found. It was manifested by the significant decline in concentrations and redox ratios of the ascorbate and glutathione pools as well as by the insufficient activity of MDHAR, DHAR, and GR needed for antioxidant regeneration. There was no compatibility between the ascorbate- and glutathione-mediated changes in different compartments. It was concluded that B. cinerea was able to break down the protective antioxidant barrier of the AA-GSH cycle at both the cellular and organellar levels. The changes in the AA-GSH cycle activity could partly be related to the B. cinerea-induced promotion of senescence that favoured disease progress.
Plant lipids are essential cell constituents with many structural, storage, signaling, and defensive functions. During plant–pathogen interactions, lipids play parts in both the preexisting passive defense mechanisms and the pathogen-induced immune responses at the local and systemic levels. They interact with various components of the plant immune network and can modulate plant defense both positively and negatively. Under biotic stress, lipid signaling is mostly associated with oxygenated natural products derived from unsaturated fatty acids, known as oxylipins; among these, jasmonic acid has been of great interest as a specific mediator of plant defense against necrotrophic pathogens. Although numerous studies have documented the contribution of oxylipins and other lipid-derived species in plant immunity, their specific roles in plant–pathogen interactions and their involvement in the signaling network require further elucidation. This review presents the most relevant and recent studies on lipids and lipid-derived signaling molecules involved in plant–pathogen interactions, with the aim of providing a deeper insight into the mechanisms underpinning lipid-mediated regulation of the plant immune system.