Defense on multiple fronts: How do plants cope with diverse enemies?

Plants have evolved an array of defense mechanisms to protect themselves ag ainst the wide variety of pathogens and pests with which they are confronte d. Included in these defense mechanisms are inducible responses that are tu rned on systemically in the plant in response to attempted infection or pre dation. The two most studied inducible responses are systemic acquired resi stance, which provides enhanced resistance to pathogen infection, and the w ound response pathway, resulting in enhanced resistance to insect feeding. Recent research suggests that the two pathways are not completely independe nt, and the induction of one might affect the expression of the other, Howe ver, the evidence for cross-talk between different induced defense response pathways is somewhat confusing, and at times contradictory. Here, we revie w recent advances in our understanding of how the different pathways might interact.