Deciphering phenylalanine-derived salicylic acid biosynthesis in plants PMID: 40702180

ADC Targets in Oncology

2026-04-10

Deciphering phenylalanine-derived salicylic acid biosynthesis in plants

Nature. 2025 Sep;645(8079):208-217. doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09280-9.

Yukang Wang ^# ¹ ² , Shuyan Song ^# ¹ ² , Wenxuan Zhang ^# ³ , Qianwen Deng ¹ ² , Yanlei Feng ¹ ² , Mei Tao ⁴ , Mengna Kang ¹ , Qi Zhang ¹ , Lijia Yang ¹ , Xinyu Wang ¹ , Changan Zhu ³ , Xiaowen Wang ¹ ² , Wanxin Zhu ¹ ² , Yixiao Zhu ⁴ , Pengfei Cao ⁵ , Jia Chen ⁶ , Jinheng Pan ⁶ , Shan Feng ⁶ , Xianyan Chen ⁷ , Huaxin Dai ⁸ , Shiyong Song ¹ , Jinghua Yang ³ , Tianlun Zhao ¹ , Fangbin Cao ¹ , Zeng Tao ¹ , Xingxing Shen ⁴ , Robert L Last ⁹ ¹⁰ , Jianping Hu ⁵ ¹⁰ , Jingquan Yu ³ ¹¹ , Pengxiang Fan ¹² ¹³ , Ronghui Pan ¹⁴ ¹⁵

Affiliations

1. State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm Innovation and Utilization, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
2. Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Intelligent Manufacturing for Functional Chemicals, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
3. Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
4. Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
5. Michigan State University-Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
6. Mass Spectrometry and Metabolomics Core Facility, The Biomedical Research Core Facility, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China.
7. Material Scientific Cores, Zhejiang Laboratory, Hangzhou, China.
8. Beijing Life Science Academy, Changping, Beijing, China.
9. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
10. Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
11. Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plants Growth and Development, Agricultural Ministry of China, Hangzhou, China.
12. Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. [email protected].
13. Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plants Growth and Development, Agricultural Ministry of China, Hangzhou, China. [email protected].
14. State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Breeding, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm Innovation and Utilization, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. [email protected].
15. Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Intelligent Manufacturing for Functional Chemicals, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. [email protected].
# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Salicylic acid (SA) is a ubiquitous plant hormone with a long history in human civilization^1,2. 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.