<div><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Chinese scientists have discovered a possible &quot;death switch&quot; mechanism in plant's immune system that triggers infected cells to self-destruct, thus limiting the spread of the disease and keeping other parts of the plant healthy.This is as per the findings published in the journal 'Science'.</span></div><br />”<br />”Scientists said the discovery provides clues to cell death control and immunity for plants, and they hope further research can lead to a new generation of disease-resistant crops that use significantly less pesticide and are more environmentally friendly.<br />” <br />”The research was done by scientists from Tsinghua University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Genetics and Development Biology.&nbsp;<br />”<br />”<br />”About 20 years ago, scientists discovered that plants, like animals, have robust immune systems that can protect them from pathogens including viruses, fungi, bacteria and parasites.Plants also have a unique &quot;lure and catch&quot; immune response to deal with pathogens that have breached their cellular defence, but exactly how this worked remained unknown.<br />”<br />”<br />”To probe this mystery, Zhou Jianmin, a researcher and his team investigated a protein called AvrAC, which is produced by a bacterial pathogen that causes black rot on cabbage. The bacterium injects AvrAC into plant cells, where it acts as a &quot;biochemical weapon&quot; weakening the plant's immune system.<br />” <br />”They discovered that some plants have evolved to carry a resistance protein called ZAR1 that can detect bacterial proteins like AvrAC. These plants use special proteins as &quot;bait&quot; and trick the bacterial protein into attacking them instead.&nbsp;<br />”<br />”<br />”While the bait is being attacked, ZAR1 is activated to form a multiprotein structure called resistosome. The resistosome s itself into the cell's membrane and triggers it to destroy itself along with the invading pathogens, thus protecting other healthy cells. <br />”<br />”<br />”In addition to discovering this defence mechanism, Zhou and his associates from the Tsinghua University created structural models of the resistosome from their research.&nbsp;<br />”<br />”<br />”<span style="color: #222222;">This allows other scientists to examine its composition and functions more closely.The 'death switch' is usually harmless to the plant because it only affects diseased cells, which are a tiny portion of the entire plant.</span><br />