Transcriptional Regulation and Gene Expression of Disease-Responsive Genes in Model Plants and Hevea Brasiliensis

抄録

Plant immunity relies on coordinated transcriptional reprogramming that integrates pathogen perception, hormone signaling, and redox homeostasis to balance effective defense with growth and development. While these mechanisms have been extensively characterized in model plants, their conservation and diversification in woody perennial crops remain less well understood. Hevea brasiliensis, the primary source of natural rubber, represents a biologically important tree crop in which immune regulation must be tightly coordinated with specialized laticifer metabolism and long life cycles. Here, we review current advances in understanding the transcriptional regulation of immune responses in Hevea, with a focus on major transcription factor (TF) families (WRKY, AP2/ERF, NAC, and MYB) and cis-regulatory elements conserved in defense regulation in model plants. We additionally discuss pathogenesis-related genes and the roles of reactive oxygen species (ROS) biosynthesis and detoxification genes in Hevea immunity. Transcriptomic evidence indicates that Hevea activates core immune modules shared with model plants, while also exhibiting additional layers of distinctive regulatory complexity, including tissue-specific gene expression in laticifers during wounding and pathogen infection. We conclude by discussing current limitations in functional validation and highlight future directions integrating RNA-seq, cis-regulatory elements analysis, and targeted functional genomics to elucidate biotic stress networks. Such advances will be critical for accelerating molecular breeding strategies aimed at improving disease resistance while preserving natural rubber productivity.