Plant cells self-destruct to survive. After detecting a pathogen, they set off a chain reaction that ultimately destroys them, preventing disease from spreading. Now, scientists, led by UNC biologist Jeff Dangl, have discovered the mechanism behind this self-destruction.

An international team of researchers, including Jeffery Dangl at UNC-Chapel Hill, uses two complementary approaches to unveil a co-evolutionary mechanism between bacteria and plants — and also explain complex immune response patterns observed in the wild.