Phytohormones and emerging plant growth regulators in tailoring plant immunity against viral infections.

Abstract

Viral infections are major contributors to crop yield loss and represent a significant threat to sustainable agriculture. Plants respond to virus attacks by activating sophisticated signalling cascades that initiate multiple defence mechanisms. Notably, several phytohormones, including salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA), abscisic acid (ABA), and ethylene (ET), are known to shape these defence responses. In recent years, various plant growth regulators (PGRs) such as melatonin, carrageenans, sulfated fucan oligosaccharides, nitric oxide (NO), brassinosteroids (BRs), and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) have also emerged as crucial regulators of plant defence responses against virus infections. Emerging evidence indicates that these PGRs coordinate with phytohormones to activate various defence strategies, including (1) stomatal closure to limit pathogen entry, (2) callose deposition to block plasmodesmata and restrict viral spread within host tissues, (3) attenuation of viral replication, and (4) activation of RNA interference (RNAi), a crucial antiviral defence response. However, the interactions and crosstalk between PGRs and phytohormones remain largely underexplored, thereby limiting our ability to develop innovative strategies for managing viral diseases. This review discusses the diverse functions and crosstalk among various phytohormones and PGRs in orchestrating the plant defence mechanisms, highlighting their impact on viral replication, movement, and intercellular transport.