Drought recovery in plants triggers a cell-state-specific immune activation

Natanella Illouz-Eliaz, Jingting Yu, Joseph Swift, Kathryn Lande, Bruce Jow, Lia Partida-Garcia, Za Khai Tuang, Travis A. Lee, Adi Yaaran, Rosa Gomez-Castanon, William Owens, Chynna R. Bowman, Emma Osgood, Joseph R. Nery, Tatsuya Nobori, Yotam Zait, Saul Burdman and Joseph R. Ecker ()
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Natanella Illouz-Eliaz: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Jingting Yu: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Joseph Swift: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Kathryn Lande: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Bruce Jow: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Lia Partida-Garcia: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Za Khai Tuang: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Travis A. Lee: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Adi Yaaran: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Rosa Gomez-Castanon: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
William Owens: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Chynna R. Bowman: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Emma Osgood: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Joseph R. Nery: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Tatsuya Nobori: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Yotam Zait: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Saul Burdman: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Joseph R. Ecker: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract All organisms experience stress as an inevitable part of life, from single-celled microorganisms to complex multicellular beings. The ability to recover from stress is a fundamental trait that determines the overall resilience of an organism, yet stress recovery is understudied. To investigate how plants recover from drought, we examine a fine-scale time series of RNA sequencing starting 15 min after rehydration following moderate drought. We reveal that drought recovery is a rapid process involving the activation of thousands of recovery-specific genes. To capture these rapid recovery responses in different Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana) leaf cell types, we perform a single-nucleus transcriptome analysis at the onset of drought recovery, identifying a cell type-specific transcriptional state developing independently across cell types. To further validate the cell-type specific transcriptional changes observed during drought recovery, we employ spatial transcriptomics using multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization (MERFISH), revealing anatomical localization of recovery-induced gene expression programs across Arabidopsis leaf tissues. Furthermore, we reveal a recovery-induced activation of the immune system that occurs autonomously, and which enhances pathogen resistance in vivo in A. thaliana, wild tomato (Solanum pennellii) and domesticated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum cv. M82). Since rehydration promotes microbial proliferation and thereby increases the risk of infection, the activation of drought recovery-induced immunity may be crucial for plant survival in natural environments. These findings indicate that drought recovery coincides with a preventive defense response, unraveling the complex regulatory mechanisms that facilitate stress recovery in different plant cell types.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-63467-2

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