2025/07/23 by Yukang Wang, Shuyan Song, Wenxuan Zhang +28 · 1 voice · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Plant Gene Expression Analysis #Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity #Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance
paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09280-9
openalex publication_date 2025/07/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Salicylic acid (SA) is a ubiquitous plant hormone with a long history in human civilization1,2. Because of the central role of SA in orchestrating plant pathogen defence, understanding SA biosynthesis is fundamental to plant immunity research and crop improvement. Isochorismate-derived SA biosynthesis has been well defined in Arabidopsis. However, increasing evidence suggests a crucial function for phenylalanine-derived SA biosynthesis in many other plant species1. Here we reveal the phenylalanine-derived SA biosynthetic pathway in rice by identifying three dedicated enzymes — peroxisomal benzoyl-CoA:benzyl alcohol benzoyltransferase (BEBT), the endoplasmic reticulum-associated cytochrome P450 enzyme benzylbenzoate hydroxylase (BBH), and cytosolic benzylsalicylate esterase (BSE) that sequentially convert benzoyl-CoA to benzylbenzoate, benzylsalicylate and SA. The pathogen-induced gene expression pattern and SA biosynthetic functions of this triple-enzyme module are conserved in diverse plants. This work fills a major knowledge gap in the biosynthesis of a key plant defence hormone, establishing a foundation for new strategies to create disease-resistant crops. Diverse plant species synthesize salicylic acid from phenylalanine through a pathway that includes a conserved triple-enzyme module that converts benzoyl-CoA to salicylic acid.