Molecular Pathogens, 2025, Vol.16, No.2, 53-60 http://microbescipublisher.com/index.php/mp 57 which also helps potatoes to resist P. infestans better. In addition, some studies have found that adding silicon to potatoes can also improve resistance. This treatment activates the ET and JA pathways, and after JA levels rise, the defense response becomes stronger (Xue et al., 2021). Figure 2StlncRNA13558induces StPRL expression. **p < 0.01, *p < 0.001 (Adopted from Shang et al., 2024) 6.3 Use of transgenic technologies to enhance late blight resistance Now scientists are also using genetically modified technology to improve the disease resistance of potatoes. For example, adding the D-galacturonic acid reductase (GalUR) gene to a potato will increase the levels of ascorbic acid. This enhances antioxidant defense and reduces disease symptoms caused byP. infestans (Chung et al., 2019). Another method is to treat potatoes with Bacillus subtilis plus salicylic acid. This treatment can reduce oxidative damage and activate defense mechanisms, which help improve postharvest resistance and tuber quality (Lastochkina et al., 2022). 7 Applications of Signaling Pathways in Molecular Breeding 7.1 Breeding strategies based on signaling pathways for disease resistance To make potatoes more resistant to disease, researchers often study the signaling pathways in their bodies. Studies have found that by activating some key pathways, such as salicylic acid (SA) and ethylene (Eth) pathways, it can significantly increase its resistance to late blight (Phytophthora infestans). A module like StMKK5-StSIPK can activate the SA and ethylene pathways, helping plants initiate immune responses faster. In potatoes, in addition to SA and ethylene, hormonal acid (JA) and abscisic acid (ABA) are also involved in the anti-disease process. This shows that these signaling pathways can be used as targets during breeding to select and breed more disease-resistant varieties (Yan et al., 2022). 7.2 Application of CRISPR/Cas9 in modifying disease resistance signaling pathways CRISPR/Cas9 is a powerful gene editing tool that can also be used in disease-resistant breeding. Researchers can now use it to modify genes that control SA and ethylene pathways, such as StMKK5 or StSIPK, to increase potato resistance to late blight. Such genes are critical in activate the plant's defense response. By accurately editing these genes, scientists can enable plants to activate immune mechanisms faster. This approach has a good prospect in disease-resistant molecular breeding (Zhang et al., 2021).
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