Salicylic acid （SA） and derivatives are widely used as analgesic and anti-inflammatory agents

Abstract

In plants, SA increases in levels during pathogen infection and induces systemic acquired resistance （SAR）.　SAR is effective against a　broad range of pathogens and plays an important role in protecting plants from attack by pathogens.　Therefore, SAR inducers are widely used in rice cultivation in Japan.　More information about the chemical structure of SAR inducers would also be useful to analyze the detailed mechanism of SAR inducer’s action.　For this purpose, we performed the screening for chemicals capable of inducing disease resistance in plants.　We have identified 4-{3-［（3,5-dichloro-2-hydroxybenzylidene）amino］propyl}-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-5-one （BAPP）, which enhances SAR in rice, tomato and Arabidopsis.　Furthermore, we have reported that a transient high-temperature treatment enhances disease resistance by activating SA biosynthesis.　Since SA is produced from the shikimate pathway, other related metabolic pathways were expected to be upregulated by high-temperature treatment.　These results indicate that control of the SA pathway leads to enhanced stress tolerance in plants.