REVIEW article
Front. Fungal Biol.
Sec. Fungi-Plant Interactions
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/ffunb.2025.1640465
Roles of Non-specific Lipid Transfer Proteins in Plant Defense: Structural and Functional Perspectives
Provisionally accepted
John Edward McLaughlin*
Nilgun E Tumer- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, United States
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Non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) are vital and versatile components of plant cellular systems. They are characterized by a conserved eight-cysteine motif and are increasingly recognized for their dual roles in direct defense and stress modulation. nsLTPs serve critical structural and signaling functions in plant immunity. In contrast, other lipid transfer proteins, which lack the conserved cysteine motif, are primarily localized at membrane contact sites, specialized inter-organelle junctions that act as central hubs for lipid trafficking and signaling. This review explores the diverse roles of nsLTPs from structural, functional, and evolutionary perspectives, and examines current classification methodologies for the plant nsLTP superfamily.Functionally, nsLTPs contribute to the formation of protective barriers by transporting cutin monomers and other lipids, while also possessing lipid-specific antimicrobial properties that disrupt pathogen membranes. They support redox balance by scavenging reactive oxygen species, thereby minimizing oxidative stress. Additionally, nsLTPs are involved in defense signaling by transporting lipid-derived molecules essential to systemic acquired resistance. Their structural adaptability enables binding to a wide range of lipid species, underpinning their involvement in cuticle integrity, immune responses, and abiotic stress tolerance. These attributes position nsLTPs as promising targets for engineering durable, broad-spectrum disease resistance in crops.However, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding their structure-function relationships, lipid transport mechanisms, and roles in defense signaling and pathogen resistance. Addressing these challenges through advanced molecular and genetic tools could unlock the potential of nsLTPs to enhance crop resilience and contribute significantly to global food security.
Keywords: non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs), lipid biology, plant disease resistance, Plant Immunity, Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), Genetic Engineering, lipid signaling, lipidomics
Received: 03 Jun 2025; Accepted: 18 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 McLaughlin and Tumer. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: John Edward McLaughlin, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, United States
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