Plant defense against bacteria

Usually thought of as unwitting participants in the infection of plants by bacteria, it appears that stomata actually play an active role in fighting bacterial infection. New work by Maeli Melotta and Bill Underwood in the lab of Sheng Yang He at Michigan State University shows that stomata close when bacteria are placed on the leaf surface. However, bacteria which infect plants produce coronatine, a phytotoxin which forces the stomata to open (read press release)