Abstract
It has been reported that oxalic acid secreted by Sclerotium rolfsii plays a key role in development of pathogenesity by initiating the programmed cell death through activation of anion channels in the host cells such as those of Arabidopsis thaliana. In this study, we observed that oxalic acid and structurally related dicarboxylic acids induce the generation of superoxide anion radicals in the suspension-cultures of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.; cell line, BY-2) and rice (Oryza sativa, cv. Nipponbare). Data suggested that among related chemicals, oxalic acid were shown to be most active in induction of superoxide generation in both plant materials.