Peptide primary messengers in plants

The peptide primary messengers regulate embryonic development, cell growth and many other activities in animal cells. But recent evidence verified that peptide primary messengers are also involved in plant defense responses, the recognition between pollen and stigma and keep the balance between cell proliferation and differentiations in shoot apical meristems. Those results suggest that plants may actually make wide use of peptide primary messengers, both in embryonic development and late life when they rally their cells to defend against pathogens and insect pests. The recent advance in those aspects is reviewed.