Persistent loss of crops due to plant disease is a major roadblock to global food security. Plants have evolved multi-layer immune systems to protect themselves against various pathogen attacks. Plant immune systems include pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI). PTI and ETI are mutually linked and act synergistically to induce various defense responses including reactive oxygen species burst, cell wall remodeling, biosynthesis of antimicrobial compounds, hormonal signaling pathways, mitogen-activated protein kinases signaling pathways, and transcriptional reprogramming. Although a diversity of regulators and some basic principles of plant immunity have been revealed, knowledge in this area is still limited, especially in the context of climate change. Future studies on the identification and function analysis of novel defense-related regulators will provide new insights into the mechanisms of plant-pathogen interactions. Moreover, more attention should be paid to the improvement of disease resistance in crops using gene editing strategies.

Knowledge of plant-pathogen interaction will continue to flourish due to the increasing need for pathogen-tolerant crops and horticultural plants in order to adapt to modern agricultural practices and climate change. Genome editing technology has emerged as a powerful tool for exploring the complex area of plant-pathogen interactions and identifying important defense-related genes in plants. Genome editing, in particular CRISPR-based technologies, will make a big contribution in improving crop resistance to a diversity of pathogens to ensure food safety and sustainable agriculture in the future. The aim of this Research Topic is to showcase recent creative research involving the application of genome editing technology to study the molecular basis of plant immunity and to improve plant disease resistance. We welcome studies using gene editing to characterize novel components involved in pathogen virulence, pathogen detection, signal transduction, and defense responses. Studies involving the application of genome editing tools to improve plant disease resistance are most welcomed.

All types of articles (Original Research, Reviews, Opinions, Perspectives, Methods) are welcome. Subthemes include but not limited to:

•Application of genome editing for function characterization of novel genes/components involved in plant immunity.
•Tools and resources to enable large-scale and high-throughput genome editing for plant immunity research.
•Integration of gene editing with other molecular biology technologies to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of plant immunity.
•Target major susceptibility genes and negative regulators of host defense pathways by using the CRISPR/Cas-based tools for gaining resistance to bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens in model and crop plants.
•Application of molecular tools such as CRISPR-Cas genome editing technology for the breeding of crop plants with enhanced resistance to disease.

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Frontiers in Genome Editing

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