This study investigates the signal signature and transcriptome changes in Arabidopsis thaliana in response to pathogen and insect attack. The researchers monitored the dynamics of salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA), and ethylene (ET) signaling after exposure to various pathogens and herbivorous insects. They found that the kinetics of SA, JA, and ET production varied significantly in both quantity and timing, depending on the attacker. Global gene expression profiles revealed that the signal signature for each Arabidopsis-attacker combination was orchestrated into a complex set of transcriptional changes, with stress-related genes being overrepresented in all cases. The study also showed that consistent changes induced by pathogens and insects with different attack modes can show considerable overlap. For example, more than 50% of the consistent changes induced by A. brassicicola, Pieris rapae, and F. occidentalis were also induced by P. syringae. Although all four attackers stimulated JA biosynthesis, the majority of changes in JA-responsive gene expression were attacker-specific. The study concludes that SA, JA, and ET play a primary role in orchestrating the plant's defense response, but other regulatory mechanisms, such as pathway cross-talk or additional attacker-induced signals, shape the complex, attacker-specific defense response. The results highlight the importance of SA, JA, and ET in plant defense and the role of cross-talk between signaling pathways in coordinating the plant's response to different attackers. The study also shows that the expression patterns of marker genes correlate only to a limited extent with the accumulation patterns of the signaling compounds themselves. The researchers used microarray analysis to identify robust sets of attacker-responsive genes and validated their findings using Northern blot and Q-RT-PCR. The study found that stress-related genes are overrepresented in all Arabidopsis-attacker combinations, indicating their importance in the plant's defense response. The results demonstrate the complexity of the plant's defense response and the role of SA, JA, and ET in coordinating the response to different attackers.This study investigates the signal signature and transcriptome changes in Arabidopsis thaliana in response to pathogen and insect attack. The researchers monitored the dynamics of salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA), and ethylene (ET) signaling after exposure to various pathogens and herbivorous insects. They found that the kinetics of SA, JA, and ET production varied significantly in both quantity and timing, depending on the attacker. Global gene expression profiles revealed that the signal signature for each Arabidopsis-attacker combination was orchestrated into a complex set of transcriptional changes, with stress-related genes being overrepresented in all cases. The study also showed that consistent changes induced by pathogens and insects with different attack modes can show considerable overlap. For example, more than 50% of the consistent changes induced by A. brassicicola, Pieris rapae, and F. occidentalis were also induced by P. syringae. Although all four attackers stimulated JA biosynthesis, the majority of changes in JA-responsive gene expression were attacker-specific. The study concludes that SA, JA, and ET play a primary role in orchestrating the plant's defense response, but other regulatory mechanisms, such as pathway cross-talk or additional attacker-induced signals, shape the complex, attacker-specific defense response. The results highlight the importance of SA, JA, and ET in plant defense and the role of cross-talk between signaling pathways in coordinating the plant's response to different attackers. The study also shows that the expression patterns of marker genes correlate only to a limited extent with the accumulation patterns of the signaling compounds themselves. The researchers used microarray analysis to identify robust sets of attacker-responsive genes and validated their findings using Northern blot and Q-RT-PCR. The study found that stress-related genes are overrepresented in all Arabidopsis-attacker combinations, indicating their importance in the plant's defense response. The results demonstrate the complexity of the plant's defense response and the role of SA, JA, and ET in coordinating the response to different attackers.