ronald@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu (Ronald Amundson) (04/10/90)
I think the question you mean to ask is "do plants have an immune system _like mammals_" rather than "like animals". Reptiles don't even have the kind of immune system mammals do. On my (admittedly limited) understanding, the mammalian immune system is pretty odd and unusual, and its evolutionary origin isn't well understood. (Repeat, limited understanding.) Ron
riordanmr@clvax1.cl.msu.edu (Mark Riordan) (04/12/90)
In article <7204@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu>, ronald@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu (Ronald Amundson) writes... > >I think the question you mean to ask is "do plants have an immune >system _like mammals_" rather than "like animals". .... No, plants do not have immune systems. The mammalian immune system involves the production of antibodies in response to an invader (a bacterium or virus, for example). Plants do not produce antibodies. There is, however, a "signal" that is transferred from the site of infection or injury to non- attacked plant parts. The nature (chemical, electrical, etc.) of this "signal" is not known, but once the signal is elicited, the plant produces toxins (phenolic compounds, for example) which seem to protect it if further challenged by the pathogen. This phenomenon has been termed "induced resistance" and is the focus of several plant pathology labs (eg: Ray Hammerschmidt, Mich. Ste. Univ. and Joe Kuc, Univ. of Kentucky).