Leaf hydraulics is a core component of plant immunity
Abstract
Hydathodes at leaf margins mediate guttation of xylem-derived fluids and serve as primary entry sites for adapted vascular bacterial pathogens such as Xanthomonas campestris . Infection of Arabidopsis mutants with fewer hydathodes resulted in spontaneous mesophyll water-soaking and revealed unexpectedly-large pathogen populations explained by direct infection of the mesophyll niche through stomata and subsequent proliferation. Physical blockage of hydathodes also induced mesophyll water-soaking and enhanced bacterial growth in both Arabidopsis and cauliflower leaves. These findings reveal a dual role for hydathodes as primary sites of infection while being essential to restrict pathogen proliferation in nonvascular tissues. More broadly, our study identifies leaf hydraulics and guttation as central components of water immunity in vascular plants.
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BibTeX
@misc{marty2026leaf,
title = {{Leaf hydraulics is a core component of plant immunity}},
author = {Soline Marty and Caroline Bellenot and Damien Vasselon and Magali Goussot and Alice Boulanger and Corinne Audran and Pauline Savourat and Anne-Sophie Sarthou and Cécile Pouzet and Jean-Marc Routaboul and Patrick Laufs and Laurent Noël},
howpublished = {HAL},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05761634v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Leaf hydraulics is a core component of plant immunity
AU - Soline Marty
AU - Caroline Bellenot
AU - Damien Vasselon
AU - Magali Goussot
AU - Alice Boulanger
AU - Corinne Audran
AU - Pauline Savourat
AU - Anne-Sophie Sarthou
AU - Cécile Pouzet
AU - Jean-Marc Routaboul
AU - Patrick Laufs
AU - Laurent Noël
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/28
PB - HAL
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05761634v1
AB - Hydathodes at leaf margins mediate guttation of xylem-derived fluids and serve as primary entry sites for adapted vascular bacterial pathogens such as Xanthomonas campestris . Infection of Arabidopsis mutants with fewer hydathodes resulted in spontaneous mesophyll water-soaking and revealed unexpectedly-large pathogen populations explained by direct infection of the mesophyll niche through stomata and subsequent proliferation. Physical blockage of hydathodes also induced mesophyll water-soaking and enhanced bacterial growth in both Arabidopsis and cauliflower leaves. These findings reveal a dual role for hydathodes as primary sites of infection while being essential to restrict pathogen proliferation in nonvascular tissues. More broadly, our study identifies leaf hydraulics and guttation as central components of water immunity in vascular plants.
ER -