Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The increasing pressure of plant diseases, pesticide resistance and environmental degradation has created an urgent need for sustainable crop protection strategies. Plant extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as nanoscale, membrane-bound carriers that mediate intercellular and cross-kingdom communication. In plant-pathogen interactions, EVs may function as vehicles for "RNA warfare", enabling plants to deliver regulatory RNAs into pathogens and suppress virulence-associated genes [1, 3]. Conversely, fungal pathogens can exploit EV-mediated RNA transport to interfere with host immune responses [2]. This mini-review summarizes the emerging role of EV-mediated RNA communication in plant-pathogen interactions, critically evaluates current mechanistic and translational limitations, and discusses its potential as a conceptual basis for RNA-based biopesticides, immune-priming tools and biologically derived nanocarriers for sustainable crop protection [5, 6].
Authors: F. Seyma Gokdemir, Fusun Eyidogan
Institution: Başkent University
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7166883384