WRKY Transcription Factors: Epigenetic and Post‐Translational Regulation of Plant Immunity and Growth–Environment Adaptation

Pests, including pathogens and insects, are stress factors limiting agricultural sustainability. Achieving the balance between disease resistance and high yields is crucial for modern crop breeding. With the rapid development of omics and genome-editing technologies, identifying and modifying key immune regulator genes to strengthen crop immunity without inducing a yield penalty, or even increasing yields, is an effective strategy for promoting agricultural sustainability and breeding super crops. Over the past several decades, WRKY transcription factors (TFs), which function as master regulators of plant immunity, have been shown to widely engage in different pathways regulating plant immunity, from pathogen perception to signal transduction. Here, we summarise recent advances in elucidating the roles of WRKY TFs in plant immunity, including post-translational regulation and epigenetic modification. We also discuss the functional mechanisms of WRKY TFs in balancing plant growth and immunity and propose future research directions to further elucidate the roles of WRKY TFs in plant immunity and the growth-immunity trade-off.