Genetics, development and cell biology faculty, staff and students are among the plant scientists at Iowa State University who have shed new light on a genetic pathway that influences both plant growth and disease resistance, making it a promising target for breeding new crop varieties that can fight pathogens without sacrificing performance. 

The research, published in the peer-reviewed academic journal Current Biology, details how the protein Feronia works in the model plant Arabidopsis to promote growth and to confer disease resistance in the presence of bacterial pathogens.

For additional information, read the complete ISU News Service article, "Checkmate: How plant protein Feronia protects against bacterial attackers."