A 2025 Nature Communications study showed that the light-response transcription factor HY5 acts as a systemic node connecting electrical signaling and jasmonate defense during root-knot nematode attack in tomato.
Root attack sends a GLR3.5-dependent electrical signal to leaves
Nematode attack triggers systemic electrical signaling through GLR3.5. In leaves, the signal engages Ca²⁺/calmodulin signaling and promotes physical interaction between CaM2 and HY5.
phyB-dependent HY5 accumulation amplifies JA biosynthesis
Light-dependent phyB signaling promotes HY5 accumulation. HY5 activates jasmonate-biosynthesis genes and its own expression, while CaM2–HY5 interaction amplifies the transcriptional response and JA burst.
HY5 then moves from leaf to root to sustain the loop
HY5 itself acts as a mobile systemic signal, moving from leaves to roots and activating GLR3.5 expression there, helping maintain root-to-shoot electrical signaling.
The mechanism was established in a tomato–root-knot-nematode system. HY5 is highly pleiotropic, so manipulating it is not a generic recipe for resistance across all crops and stresses. Growth and light-response trade-offs would have to be evaluated.
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Reference
- Sun T et al. HY5 integrates light and electrical signaling to trigger a jasmonate burst for nematode defense in tomato. Nature Communications. 2025;16:8750. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63779-3
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