Bio-Nanoparticle-Induced Self-Defense in Arabidopsis thaliana: Molecular Insights into Resistance Gene Activation Under Smart Industrial Stimuli

Background/Aims: By activating innate immune responses, nanobiotechnology enables sustainable ways to improve the resistance of plants. This study evaluates the effect of chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) on the transcriptional activation of defense-associated genes of Arabidopsis thaliana. CNPs were produced via ionic gelation and sprayed on the leaves of 4-week-old plants. The relative expression levels of PR1, PDF1.2, and WRKY70 were measured using qRT-PCR and the 2^−ΔΔCt method and subjected to appropriate normalization and statistical analysis. Treatment with CNPs significantly increased the levels of PR1, PDF1.2, and WRKY70 compared to the controls, indicating that important transcriptional programs associated with defense are activated and related to the signaling pathways of salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA)/ethylene (ET). WRKY70 exhibited the greatest level of induction and thus plays a major regulatory role in the coordination of these defense signaling pathways. Chitosan nanoparticles act as effective inducers of transcriptional activation of plant defense markers in A. thaliana. Previous studies support mechanisms of signaling, such as ROS, calcium (Ca²⁺) influx, MAPK, and pattern-triggered responses (PTI)/effector-triggered responses (ETI) that warrant further examination.