How are bacterial pathogens able to effectively overcome plants' defense mechanisms? Researchers working with Professor Şuayb Üstün at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, have found a surprising answer to this question: The pathogens seize tiny compartments in plant cells, known as processing bodies or P-bodies, to selectively deactivate protein production when the plant needs it the most. The researchers describe this previously unknown strategy of the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae in an article published in the journal Science Advances.

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