Plant antioxidant gene responses to fungal pathogens.

Antioxidant defense systems are a prominent element in plant responses to environmental stress. Activated oxygen species have themselves been implicated as both a part of the plant's defense against pathogen attack as well as the phytotoxic component of photosensitizing fungal toxins. Molecular analyses are just beginning to define how plant oxidant and antioxidant genes might integrate with other defense responses to provide effective protection against pathogen attack.