LAUSR

Host selective toxins (HSTs) are small molecule phytotoxins that control the pathogenicity of microbes in the host plant, but the mechanistic basis for their selectivity is unknown. We developed AcIle-EDA (Aclle-(+)-9,10-epoxy-8-hydroxy-9-methyldeca-trienoic acid) as a molecular probe of an HST, examined its mode of action in genetically modified Oryza sativa, and found it to trigger ROS production through NADPH-oxidase OsRBOHB, causing the emergence of pathogenic traits. This result strongly suggests that AcIle-EDA functions through the hijacking of the plant-microbe interaction system.