J Integr Plant Biol ›› 2026, Vol. 68 ›› Issue (8): 3000-3024.DOI: 10.1111/jipb.70306

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  • 收稿日期:2026-03-24 接受日期:2026-05-11 出版日期:2026-08-01 发布日期:2026-08-07

Decoding MAPK cascades in plant immunity: Activation, regulation, integration, and pathogen manipulation

Guitao Zhong1†, Zhanchun Wang1†, Dingzhong Tang1* and Wei Wang1,2*   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Forestry Biosecurity, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Plant Immunity Center, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
    2. Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Breeding by Design, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
    †These authors contributed equally to this work.
    *Correspondences: Wei Wang (vic_0214@163.com, Dr. Wang is fully responsible for the distribution of all materials associated with this article); Dingzhong Tang (dztang@fafu.edu.cn)
  • Received:2026-03-24 Accepted:2026-05-11 Online:2026-08-01 Published:2026-08-07
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32370302 and 32502514), the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province, China (2024J09022), and the Special Fund for Science and Technology Innovation of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (KFB25025A).

Abstract: Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK/MPK) cascades are conserved signaling modules that play crucial roles in plant growth, reproduction, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Many breakthroughs have been made recently in understanding the functional and regulatory mechanisms involving MAPK cascades in plant immunity. In this review, we summarize the conserved composition and activation of MAPK cascades and update advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms by which plants maintain or inhibit MAPK activation. We also highlight the functional links between MAPK activation and other immune events, suggesting crosstalk in the plant immune signaling network. Furthermore, we outline the strategies by which pathogen effectors inhibit plant immunity by manipulating MAPK signaling and illuminate the contribution of MAPK cascades to effector-triggered immunity. Overall, this review provides major evidence for understanding the importance and complexity of MAPK signaling and reveals that the MAPK cascade serves as an essential signaling hub in activating plant immunity.

Key words: cascade, kinase, MAPK, plant immunity, Raf‐like, signaling

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