Spatial and single-cell transcriptomics capture two distinct cell states in plant immunity
Authors: Hu, Y., Schaefer, R., Rendleman, M., Slattery, A., Cramer, A., Nahiyan, A., Breitweiser, L., Shah, M., Kaehler, E., Yao, C., Bowling, A., Crow, J., May, G., Tabor, G., Thatcher, S., Uppalapati, S. R., Muppirala, U., Deschamps, S.
Category: Plant Biology
Model Organism: Glycine max
▶ AI Summary
The study combined spatial transcriptomics and single-nuclei RNA sequencing to map soybean (Glycine max) responses to Asian soybean rust caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi, revealing two distinct host cell states: pathogen‑occupied regions and adjacent non‑infected regions that show heightened defense gene expression. Gene co‑expression network analysis identified a key immune‑related module active in the stressed cells, highlighting a cell‑non‑autonomous defense mechanism.