The salicylic acid loop in plant defense.

Salicylic acid is an important signal molecule in plant defense. In the past two years, significant progress has been made in understanding the mechanism of salicylic-acid biosynthesis and signaling in plants. A pathway similar to that found in some bacteria synthesizes salicylic acid from chorismate via isochorismate. Salicylic-acid signaling is mediated by at least two mechanisms, one requiring the NON-EXPRESSOR OF PR1 (NPR1) gene and a second that is independent of NPR1. Feedback loops involving salicylic acid modulate upstream signals. These feedback loops may provide a point for integrating developmental, environmental and other defense-associated signals, and thus fine-tune the defense responses of plants.