Study on the influence of nitroxyl (HNO) and nitric oxide (NO) bioactivity on potato defense against pathogens: on the lookout for improving the global food supply.

Project Information

ONGUARD

Grant agreement ID: 101107625

DOI

10.3030/101107625

Project terminated on 31 August 2025

EC signature date 21 March 2023

Start date 1 February 2024

End date 31 January 2026

Funded under

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 155 793,60

Coordinated by

UNIWERSYTET IM. ADAMA MICKIEWICZA WPOZNANIU
Poland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ONGUARD (Study on the influence of nitroxyl (HNO) and nitric oxide (NO) bioactivity on potato defense against pathogens: on the lookout for improving the global food supply.)

Reporting period: 2024-02-01 to 2026-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Plants face many environmental and biological threats that can damage their growth and productivity. In response, they activate protective systems based on signaling molecules like nitric oxide (NO), which help coordinate defense responses. Recently, a closely related molecule, nitroxyl (HNO), was detected in plants for the first time. Although HNO has been studied in medicine, its role in plant biology remains unknown. This project explored whether plants naturally produce HNO during a pathogen attack and whether this molecule plays a role in regulating plant immunity.
We developed a method to detect HNO in real time in potato leaves infected with a fungal-like pathogen that causes late blight, a devastating crop disease. Our findings showed that HNO levels increased during infection and were influenced by the plant's redox balance (its ability to control oxidation). We also found that applying HNO externally could reduce disease symptoms, suggesting it has a protective role. The project helps explain how plants coordinate internal chemical signals when attacked by pathogens.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

This project aimed to understand whether plants produce the small molecule HNO during stress, and how it interacts with known plant signals like nitric oxide. We used potato plants infected with a known pathogen as a model system. The objectives were to: (1) detect and visualize HNO production in plant tissues during pathogen attack; (2) investigate the environmental and chemical conditions that influence its formation; and (3) evaluate whether adding HNO externally could help plants defend themselves. This work aimed to place HNO within the broader network of plant chemical defenses and open up new strategies for sustainable crop protection.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

We successfully detected endogenous HNO in potato leaves during infection with Phytophthora infestans, showing for the first time that plants can produce this molecule in response to a pathogen. HNO levels changed over time and were linked to the plant’s redox state. We demonstrated that applying HNO donors reduced the severity of disease symptoms. We also observed that plant-derived molecules such as antioxidants and signaling compounds could modulate HNO production. These results suggest that HNO is not only produced naturally in plants but also plays a functional role in plant immunity.

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