The exocyst, a protein complex involved in exocytosis, has been reported to
be involved in plant growth and development in Arabidopsis. However, the
functions of exocytotic molecules in rice are poorly understood. A team of
researchers led by Jin Ma from Peking University in China examined the
function of OsSEC3A, an important subunit of the exocyst protein complex in
rice using CRISPR-Cas9.

The team generated rice lines with silenced OsSEC3A using CRISPR-Cas9 gene
editing. The resulting lines exhibited dwarf stature and a lesion-mimic
phenotype. The Ossec3a mutant also exhibited enhanced defense responses and
enhanced resistance to the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae. Furthermore,
OsSEC3A was revealed to interact with rice protein OsSNAP32, which is
involved in rice blast resistance.

These findings reveal the function of rice exocyst subunit SEC3 in defense
response.

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