PthXo2B Orthologue Tal7 of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae Strain IX-221 Acts as a Major Virulence Factor in Indica Rice Without Activating a Clade III SWEET Gene.

In rice bacterial blight, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae deploys transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) that upregulate host susceptibility genes. Thirty-four amino acid repeats in TALEs each specify a base in the DNA target, via a repeat-variable diresidue (RVD; positions 12 and 13).