Abstract
Salicylic acid (SA) is an important signal molecule in plant disease resistance. The benzoic acid (BA) pathway for the biosynthesis of SA has been proposed. However, genes involved in the BA pathway are not known. We reported that bah1 (benzoic acid hypersensitive 1) mutant involved in the BA pathway was isolated (Yaeno et al., PCP 46: Suppl. S125, 2005). bah1 mutant showed an inhibited growth and enhanced expression of SA-inducible PR1 gene in the presence of BA. Furthermore, the accumulation of SA occurred in bah1 mutant by application of BA. cDNA microarray analysis showed enhanced expression of defense-related genes and several P450 genes, candidates for the gene encoding an enzyme converting BA to SA.
