Cells in Context: Spatial and Single-Cell Dissection of Plant Immunity and Infection

Plant immunity research has undergone a transformative shift with the advent of spatial and single-cell technologies, enabling scientists to dissect infection processes at unprecedented resolution. Traditional approaches, largely reliant on bulk-tissue datasets, often mask the heterogeneity of cellular responses and obscure localized signaling that may be critical for mounting effective immune defenses. Recent breakthroughs in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), spatial transcriptomics, and high-resolution imaging have illuminated the striking diversity and microenvironmental context of immune and pathogenic processes in plant tissues. These insights reveal a rich spatial tapestry of cellular communications, subpopulation-specific responses, and niche-specific infection strategies, yet many questions remain regarding the precise coordination of these processes at the cellular and tissue level.This Research Topic aims to foster a deeper mechanistic understanding of plant immunity and infection by focusing on studies that leverage spatial or single-cell resolution. The central objective is to highlight how fine-scale dissection of heterogeneity, cell-type specialization, and microenvironmental context drive plant defense and pathogen strategies. Key questions include the identification of critical immune and infection hubs within tissues, the mapping of spatial signaling networks, and the characterization of rare or transient cell states that may underlie successful resistance or susceptibility. Hypotheses around cell–cell interactions, local signaling dynamics, and pathogen manipulation of distinct host compartments will also be explored.To gather further insights in the spatial and single-cell boundaries of plant immune research, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:- Tissue- and cell-type–specific transcriptomic responses to infection- Spatial mapping of immune signaling or pathogen spread within tissues- Single-cell profiling of rare or specialized immune cell states- High-resolution imaging of cellular and subcellular immune processes- Integration of multi-omics datasets at single-cell or spatial resolution- Mechanistic studies linking cell-type heterogeneity to overall plant immunity- New technologies or analytic methods for spatial/single-cell plant studies Topic editors: Isabel Velada, Ramin Bahmani, Rita Teresa Teixeira, Olga A Zabotina Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/76956/cells-in-context-spatial-and-single-cell-dissection-of-plant-immunity-and-infection