Molecular Microbiology Research, 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 28-36 http://microbescipublisher.com/index.php/mmr 28 Review Article Open Access Review of Disease Resistance Mechanisms in Sweet Potato: Pathogen Response Pathways Jianquan Li Hainan Institute of Biotechnology, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Haikou, 570206, Hainan, China Corresponding email: jianquan.li@hitar.org Molecular Microbiology Research, 2025, Vol.15, No.1 doi: 10.5376/mmr.2025.15.0004 Received: 20 Dec., 2024 Accepted: 26 Jan., 2025 Published: 21 Feb., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Li, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Li J.Q., 2025, Review of disease resistance mechanisms in sweet potato: pathogen response pathways, Molecular Microbiology Research, 15(1): 28-36 (doi: 10.5376/mmr.2025.15.0004). Abstract This study summarizes the major pathogens of sweet potato and their pathogenic mechanisms, elaborating on plant pathogen recognition systems (PTI and ETI), core resistance genes, and transcription factors involved in disease resistance responses. The paper also explores the critical roles of signaling pathways such as salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA), and ethylene (ET) in disease defense and highlights the contribution of secondary metabolites in enhancing resistance. By introducing disease resistance breeding strategies, including traditional breeding, marker-assisted selection, and gene editing technologies, the study underscores the importance of integrating multiple resistance genes to combat various diseases. In the face of pathogen variation and the dual challenges posed by climate change, continuous exploration of resistance gene resources, innovation in breeding technologies, and strengthening international cooperation will be key directions for future research on sweet potato disease resistance. Keywords Sweet potato disease resistance; Pathogen response pathways; Resistance genes; Transcription factor regulation; Disease resistance breeding strategies 1 Introduction Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a crop that is important worldwide. It can be used as food and feed, and can also be used as industrial raw materials, with many functions. A country like China is one of the most sweet potato growing regions in the world. Because it is nutritious and useful, sweet potatoes are people's staple food in many developing countries, which is very helpful for food security and economic stability (Yang et al., 2023). However, sweet potato cultivation also faces many disease problems. Black rot, bacterial blight and some viral diseases will have a great impact on sweet potatoes. Among them, black rot is caused by a fungus called Ceratocystis fimbriata; while bacterial blight is caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. These two diseases are particularly serious and will greatly reduce yield. In addition, there are some viral diseases, such as sweet potato virus disease caused by SPVD virus, which can also make crops more prone to illness, reduce yields, and increase planting difficulty (Wang et al., 2020; Bednarek et al., 2021). Recently, some studies have begun to focus on the pathogenesis of sweet potatoes. For example, some researchers used transcriptome analysis to find genes and pathways related to sweet potato resistance against Fusarium wilt and root-knot nematode disease. These findings may become important references in breeding (Zhang et al., 2020; Qiao et al., 2023). At the same time, with the development of biotechnology, scientists can also "introduce" some key genes that are stress-resistant into sweet potatoes, thereby enhancing their resistance to pests and diseases (Yu et al., 2021). This study mainly aims to study how sweet potatoes resist pathogens through genetic and molecular mechanisms. We will focus on the genetic characteristics, molecular mechanisms related to disease resistance, and the current progress in biotechnology. Ultimately, we hope that these achievements can provide theoretical basis and technical support for the future cultivation of disease-resistant sweet potato varieties. 2 Major Sweet Potato Pathogens and Their Pathogenic Mechanisms 2.1 Fungal pathogens (e.g., black rot fungus) Some fungal pathogens can seriously harm sweet potatoes, such as Fusarium solani and Ceratocystis fimbriata.
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