Enhanced resistance to rice blast and sheath blight in rice (oryza sativa L.) by expressing the oxalate decarboxylase protein Bacisubin from Bacillus subtilis.

Oxalate decarboxylase (OxDC), catalyzing the degradation of oxalic acid, is widely distributed in varieties of organisms. In this study, an oxalate decarboxylase gene from Bacillus subtilis strain BS-916, Bacisubin, was transformed into rice variety Nipponbare to generate transgenic rice with increased OxDC activity. Pathogenicity test revealed that the transgenic rice showed enhanced resistance to rice blast and sheath blight.