The role of plant antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in response to biotic and abiotic environmental factors

Plants are continuously exposed to various biotic and abiotic factors that may trigger cascade reactions aimed at maintaining homeostasis. One of the most important components of plant protection from biotic factors is the synthesis of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). AMPs are a large group of peptides present in insects, animals and plants. Plant innate immunity is provided by AMPs from different families that are categorized according to sequence similarity, the number and order of amino acid residues, and the tertiary structure of the mature peptide. AMPs may also participate in plant response to abiotic stresses such as high salinity, drought, high or low temperature, and heavy metals. In nitrogen-fixing nodules of some members of the Fabaceae family, AMP-like molecules named NCR peptides promote the differentiation of the symbiotic bacteria into bacteroids. Thus, AMPs are used by plants for fine tuning their responses to biotic and abiotic factors alike.