Browsing by Author "Jha, Gopaljee"

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Alterations in plant sugar metabolism: signatory of pathogen attack
(Springer Nature, 2019) Kanwar, Poonam; Jha, Gopaljee
Main conclusion This review summarizes the current understanding, future challenges and ongoing quest on sugar metabolic alterations that infuence the outcome of plant–pathogen interactions. Intricate cellular and molecular events occur during plant–pathogen interactions. They cause major metabolic perturbations in the host and alterations in sugar metabolism play a pivotal role in governing the outcome of various kinds of plant–pathogen interactions. Sugar metabolizing enzymes and transporters of both host and pathogen origin get diferentially regulated during the interactions. Both plant and pathogen compete for utilizing the host sugar metabolic machinery and in turn promote resistant or susceptible responses. However, the kind of sugar metabolism alteration that is benefcial for the host or pathogen is yet to be properly understood. Recently developed tools and methodologies are facilitating research to understand the intricate dynamics of sugar metabolism during the interactions. The present review elaborates current understanding, future challenges and ongoing quest on sugar metabolism, mobilization and regulation during various plant–pathogen interactions.
Alterations in rice chloroplast integrity, photosynthesis and metabolome associated with pathogenesis of Rhizoctonia solani
(Nature Publishing Group, 2017) Ghosh, S; Kanwar, P; Jha, Gopaljee
Sheath blight disease is caused by a necrotrophic fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani and it continues to be a challenge for sustainable rice cultivation. In this study, we adopted a multi-pronged approach to understand the intricacies of rice undergoing susceptible interactions with R. solani. Extensive anatomical alteration, chloroplast localized ROS, deformed chloroplast ultrastructure along with decreased photosynthetic efficiency were observed in infected tissue. GC-MS based metabolite profiling revealed accumulation of glycolysis and TCA cycle intermediates, suggesting enhanced respiration. Several aromatic and aliphatic amino acids along with phenylpropanoid intermediates were also accumulated, suggesting induction of secondary metabolism during pathogenesis. Furthermore, alterations in carbon metabolism along with perturbation of hormonal signalling were highlighted in this study. The gene expression analysis including RNAseq profiling reinforced observed metabolic alterations in the infected tissues. In conclusion, the present study unravels key events associated during susceptible rice-R. solani interactions and identifies metabolites and transcripts that are accumulated in infected tissues.
The alternative sigma factors, rpoN1 and rpoN2 are required for mycophagous activity of Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1
(John Wiley & Sons, 2022) Das, Joyati; Kumar, Rahul; Yadav, Sunil Kumar; Jha, Gopaljee
Bacteria utilize RpoN, an alternative sigma factor (σ54) to grow in diverse habitats, including nitrogen-limiting conditions. Here, we report that a rice-associated mycophagous bacterium Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1 encodes two paralogues of rpoN viz. rpoN1 and rpoN2. Both of them are upregulated during 24 h of mycophagous interaction with Rhizoctonia solani, a polyphagous fungal pathogen. Disruption of either one of rpoNs renders the mutant NGJ1 bacterium defective in mycophagy, whereas ectopic expression of respective rpoN genes restores mycophagy in the complementing strains. NGJ1 requires rpoN1 and rpoN2 for efficient biocontrol to prevent R. solani to establish disease in rice and tomato. Further, we have identified 17 genes having RpoN regulatory motif in NGJ1, majority of them encode potential type III secretion system (T3SS) effectors, nitrogen assimilation, and cellular transport-related functions. Several of these RpoN regulated genes as well as certain previously reported T3SS apparatus (hrcC and hrcN) and effector (Bg_9562 and endo-β-1,3-glucanase) encoding genes are upregulated in NGJ1 but not in ΔrpoN1 or ΔrpoN2 mutant bacterium, during mycophagous interaction with R. solani. This highlights that RpoN1 and RpoN2 modulate T3SS, nitrogen assimilation as well as cellular transport systems in NGJ1 and thereby promote bacterial mycophagy.
Bacteria-fungal confrontation and fungal growth prevention assay
(Bio-protocol LLC., 2018) Kumar, Rahul; Swain, Durga Madhab; Yadav, Sunil Kumar; Tyagi, Isha; Kumar, Rajeev; Das, Joyati; Ghosh, Srayan; Jha, Gopaljee
There are some bacteria which can grow and multiply at the cost of living fungal biomass. They can potentially utilize fungi as a source of nutrients to forage over them. Such phenomenon is known as bacterial mycophagy, however, its mechanistic insights need to be explored to identify the molecules involved in mycophagy for potential utilization in controlling various fungal diseases. Recently we have demonstrated that a rice-associated bacteria Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1 exhibits mycophagous ability on several fungi, including Rhizoctonia solani, the necrotrophic fungal pathogen causing sheath blight disease in rice. We hereby describe our validated and efficient methods used to study B. gladioli strain NGJ1-R. solani interactions. These methodologies would be useful for designing assays to study the confrontation between bacteria and fungi which in turn enable discovery of novel antifungal molecules from such bacteria.
Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1 deploys a prophage tail-like protein for mycophagy
(Shared Science Publishers OG, 2018) Kumar, Rahul; Yadav, Sunil Kumar; Swain, Durga Madhab; Jha, Gopaljee
Fungal pathogens are responsible for approximately two third of the infectious plant diseases. Historically they have been associated with several devastating famines, causing death and disabilities in humans. Mostly fungal diseases are being controlled by using fungicides which otherwise have adverse side effects on the health of consumers as well as environment. Due to extensive usages, pathogens have evolved resistance against most of the commonly used fungicides and rendered them ineffective. Controlling fungal disease in a sustainable and eco-friendly fashion remains a challenge. The antifungal biocontrol agents are being considered as potent, alternative and ecofriendly approach to manage fungal diseases. In our recent work, we have identified a rice associated bacterium; Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1 which demonstrates broad spectrum fungal eating (mycophagous) property. We determined that the bacterium utilizes its type III secretion system (Injectisome) machinery to deploy a prophage tail-like protein (Bg_9562) into fungal cells to devour them. The purified Bg_9562 protein from overexpressing recombinant E. coli strain demonstrates broad spectrum antifungal activity. Overall our study opens up a new opportunity to exploit prophage taillike protein as potent antifungal compound to control plant as well as animal fungal diseases.
Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1 deploys a prophage tail-like protein to feed on fungi
(American Phytopathological Society, 2019) Swain, D.M.; Yadav, S.; Tyagi, I.; Kumar, R.; Kumar, R.; Ghosh, S.; Das, J.; Jha, Gopaljee
Fungal pathogens are responsible for approximately two third of the infectious plant diseases. Due to extensive usages, pathogens have evolved resistance against most of the commonly used fungicides. Rice sheath blight disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani remains a serious threat to global sustainable agriculture. The pathogen has a complex biology and has been reported occurring world-wide causing necrosis and dampingoff on numerous host plant species. The pathogen is polymorphic and despite extensive efforts, till today no source of complete disease resistance has been identified against this pathogen. We have recently discovered a novel bacterium Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1 which has broad spectrum mycophagus ability. We also demonstrated that the bacteria NGJ1 deploys a prophage tail like protein (Bg_9562) to feed over fungi in a T3SS dependant manner. Moreover we observed that Bg_9562 protein has a broad spectrum antifungal activity on Rhizoctonia solani as well as several other phytopathogenic fungi. Furthermore, being equipped to kill and feed upon fungi, the mycophagous bacteria can serve as an experimental tool box to facilitate discovery of novel anti-fungal molecules. This opens up a new biotechnological application of this prophage tail like protein in controlling fungal diseases in rice as well as in other plants.
Calcium regulates the mycophagous ability of Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1 in a type III secretion system-dependent manner
(BioMed Central Ltd, 2020) Yadav, Sunil Kumar; Das, Joyati; Kumar, Rahul; Jha, Gopaljee
Background: A rice associated bacterium Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1 demonstrates mycophagy, a phenomenon wherein bacteria feed on fungi. Previously, we have reported that NGJ1 utilizes type III secretion system (T3SS) to deliver a prophage tail-like protein (Bg_9562) into fungal cells to establish mycophagy. Results: In this study, we report that calcium ion concentration influences the mycophagous ability of NGJ1 on Rhizoctonia solani, an important fungal pathogen. The calcium limiting condition promotes mycophagy while high calcium environment prevents it. The expression of various T3SS apparatus encoding genes of NGJ1 was induced and secretion of several potential T3SS effector proteins (including Bg_9562) into extracellular milieu was triggered under calcium limiting condition. Using LC-MS/MS proteome analysis, we identified several calcium regulated T3SS effector proteins of NGJ1. The expression of genes encoding some of these effector proteins was upregulated during mycophagous interaction of NGJ1 with R. solani. Further, mutation of one of these genes (endo-β-1, 3- glucanase) rendered the mutant NGJ1 bacterium defective in mycophagy while complementation with full length copy of the gene restored its mycophagous activity. Conclusion: Our study provides evidence that low calcium environment triggers secretion of various T3SS effectors proteins into the extracellular milieu and suggests the importance of cocktail of these proteins in promoting mycophagy
Co-overexpression of SWEET sucrose transporters modulates sucrose synthesis and defence responses to enhance immunity against bacterial blight in rice
(John Wiley & Sons, 2024) Singh, Jitender; James, Donald; Das, Shubhashis; Patel, Manish Kumar; Sutar, Rashmi Ranjan; Achary, V. Mohan Murali; Goel, Naveen; Gupta, Kapuganti Jagadis; Reddy, Malireddy K.; Jha, Gopaljee; Sonti, Ramesh V.; Foyer, Christine H.; Thakur, Jitendra K.; Tripathy, Baishnab C.
Enhancing carbohydrate export from source to sink tissues is considered to be a realistic approach for improving photosynthetic efficiency and crop yield. The rice sucrose transporters OsSUT1, OsSWEET11a and OsSWEET14 contribute to sucrose phloem loading and seed filling. Crucially, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) infection in rice enhances the expression of OsSWEET11a and OsSWEET14 genes, and causes leaf blight. Here we show that co‐overexpression of OsSUT1, OsSWEET11a and OsSWEET14 in rice reduced sucrose synthesis and transport leading to lower growth and yield but reduced susceptibility to Xoo relative to controls. The immunity‐related hypersensitive response (HR) was enhanced in the transformed lines as indicated by the increased expression of defence genes, higher salicylic acid content and presence of HR lesions on the leaves. The results suggest that the increased expression of OsSWEET11a and OsSWEET14 in rice is perceived as a pathogen (Xoo) attack that triggers HR and results in constitutive activation of plant defences that are related to the signalling pathways of pathogen starvation. These findings provide a mechanistic basis for the trade‐off between plant growth and immunity because decreased susceptibility against Xoo compromised plant growth and yield.
Concurrent overexpression of rice G-protein β and γ subunits provide enhanced tolerance to sheath blight disease and abiotic stress in rice
(Springer Nature Publishing AG, 2019) Swain, Durga Madhab; Sahoo, Ranjan Kumar; Chandan, Ravindra Kumar; Ghosh, Srayan; Kumar, Rahul; Jha, Gopaljee; Tuteja, Narendra
The heterotrimeric G-proteins act as signalling molecules and modulate various cellular responses including stress tolerance in eukaryotes. The gamma (γ) subunit of rice G-protein (RGG1) was earlier reported to promote salinity stress tolerance in rice. In the present study, we report that a rice gene-encoding beta (β) subunit of G-protein (RGB1) gets upregulated during both biotic (upon a necrotrophic fungal pathogen, Rhizoctonia solani infection) and drought stresses. Markerfree transgenic IR64 rice lines that simultaneously overexpress both RGB1 and RGG1 genes under CaMV35S promoter were raised. The overexpressing (OE) lines showed enhanced tolerance to R. solani infection and salinity/drought stresses. Several defense marker genes including OsMPK3 were signifcantly upregulated in the R. solani-infected OE lines. We also found the antioxidant machineries to be upregulated during salinity as well as drought stress in the OE lines. Overall, the present study provides evidence that concurrent overexpression of G-protein subunits (RGG1 and RGB1) impart multiple (both biotic and abiotic) stress tolerance in rice which could be due to the enhanced expression of stress-marker genes and better management of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging/photosynthetic machinery. The current study suggests an improved approach for simultaneous improvement of biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in rice which remains a major challenge for its sustainable cultivation.
Detection of endophytic association between Aeschynomene nodulating Bradyrhizobium sp. and traditional Desariya rice roots under rice-Aeschynomene ecosystem of chaur land, Bihar, India
(Springer Nature Publishing AG, 2022) Rai, Abhilasha; Jha, Manindra Nath; Singh, Devendra; Thapa, Shobit; Chaurasia, Sanjeet Kumar; Jha, Gopaljee
Engineering diazotrophic rice having either an integral component of diazotrophic microbes or placing microbial origin nif gene to the rice plant is the dream of biotechnologist. Rice-Aeschynomene ecosystem of pristine chaur land provides a suitable niche to search Rhizobium endophytes in rice. Accordingly, the work was initiated to search suitable endophytic Rhizobium strain for artificial symbiosis within the roots of Desariya rice and its source through morphological, biochemical and molecular approaches. Detection of Acetylene reduction assay (ARA) activity in sterilized Desariya rice root confirmed the presence of putative diazotrophic endophytes in rice root. Isolates from Aeschynomene aspera L. nodulating and Desariya rice endophytic Rhizobium were evaluated for growth, IAA, morphological and biochemical features. Carbon profiling pattern of both these isolates indicated that Desariya rice endophytic Rhizobium has its similarity with Aeschynomene aspera L. nodulating Rhizobium. 16S rRNA gene sequencing confirmed the presence of endophytic Bradyrhizobium sp. in Desariya rice roots and its similarity with Aeschynomene aspera L. nodulating Bradyrhizobium. Desariya rice Bradyrhizobium may be an ideal candidate in the future for creating artificial symbiosis in rice due to its similarity with Aeschynomene aspera L. Bradyrhizobium.
Draft genome sequence of broad-spectrum antifungal bacterium Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1, isolated from healthy rice seeds
(American Society for Microbiology, 2015) Jha, Gopaljee; Tyagi, Isha; Kumar, Rajeev; Ghosh, Srayan
We report here the draft genome sequence of Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1. The strain was isolated from healthy rice seeds and exhibits broad-spectrum antifungal activity against several agriculturally important pathogens, including Rhizoctonia solani, Magnaporthe oryzae, Venturia inaequalis, and Fusarium oxysporum.
Draft genome sequence of Zhihengliuella sp. strain ISTPL4, a psychrotolerant and halotolerant bacterium isolated from pangong lake, India
(American Society for Microbiology, 2018) Mishra, Arti; Jha, Gopaljee; Thakur, Indu Shekhar
Zhihengliuella sp. strain ISTPL4, a psychrotolerant bacterium, was isolated from brackish water of the high-altitude Pangong Lake in India. In this study, we report its draft genome sequence, which contains 3,529,629 bp with a G+C content of 69.84%. The genome is enriched in genes associated with cold adaptation and plant growth promotion.
Editorial: Utilization of microbiome to develop disease resistance in crop plants against phytopathogens
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2023) Ghosh, Srayan; Jha, Gopaljee
Sustainable agriculture is important for ensuring food security at an affordable cost. Agricultural practices heavily depend on agrochemicals, such as fertilizers, fungicides, and pesticides, to ensure optimal productivity and prevent losses due to pathogens and pests. However, with time, it has become clear that most commonly used agrochemicals have residual side effects on consumers, soil health, and the environment. Hence, developing newer environmentally friendly approaches to ensure crop productivity, with minimal usage of agrochemicals, is highly desirable. The potential of plant/rhizospheric soilassociated microbes to support the overall growth of plants and provide protection against phytopathogens has been actively studied in recent years.
Enzymatic and non-enzymatic functional attributes of plant microbiome
(Elsevier B.V., 2021) Das, Joyati; Yadav, Sunil Kumar; Ghosh, Srayan; Tyagi, Kriti; Magotra, Ankita; Krishnan, Aiswarya; Jha, Gopaljee
Microbiome plays an important role in plant growth and adaptation to various environmental conditions. The cross-talk between host plant and microbes (including microbe-microbe interactions) plays a crucial role in shaping the microbiome. Recent studies have highlighted that plant microbiome is enriched in genes encoding enzymes and natural products. Several novel antimicrobial compounds, bioactive natural products and lytic/degrading enzymes with industrial implications are being identified from the microbiome. Moreover, advancements in metagenomics and culture techniques are facilitating the development of synthetic microbial communities to promote sustainable agriculture. We discuss the recent advancements, opportunities and challenges in harnessing the full potential of plant microbiome.
Enzymatic degradation of biofilm by metalloprotease from Microbacterium sp. SKS10
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2019) Saggu, Sandeep Kaur; Jha, Gopaljee; Mishra, Prakash Chandra
Enzymes have replaced or decreased usage of toxic chemicals for industrial and medical applications leading toward sustainable chemistry. In this study, we report purification and characterization of a biofilm degrading protease secreted by Microbacterium sp. SKS10. The protease was identified as a metalloprotease, Peptidase M16 using mass spectrometry. It showed optimum activity at 60 degrees C, pH 12 and retained its activity in the presence of various salts and organic solvents. The enzyme was able to degrade biofilms efficiently at enzyme concentration lower than other known enzymes such as papain, trypsin and alpha-amylase. The presence of this protease increased the accessibility of antibiotics inside the biofilm, and was found to be non-cytotoxic toward human epidermoid carcinoma cells (A431) at the effective concentration for biofilm degradation. Thus, this protease may serve as an effective tool for management of biofilms.
Evolution of pathogenicity-associated genes in Rhizoctonia solani AG1-IA by genome duplication and transposon-mediated gene function alterations
(BioMed Central Ltd, 2023) Francis, Aleena; Ghosh, Srayan; Tyagi, Kriti; Prakasam, V.; Rani, Mamta; Singh, Nagendra Pratap; Pradhan, Amrita; Sundaram, R. M.; Priyanka, C.; Laha, G. S.; Kannan, C.; Prasad, M. S.; Chattopadhyay, Debasis; Jha, Gopaljee
Background: Rhizoctonia solani is a polyphagous fungal pathogen that causes diseases in crops. The fungal strains are classified into anastomosis groups (AGs); however, genomic complexity, diversification into the AGs and the evolution of pathogenicity-associated genes remain poorly understood. Results: We report a recent whole-genome duplication and sequential segmental duplications in AG1-IA strains of R. solani. Transposable element (TE) clusters have caused loss of synteny in the duplicated blocks and introduced differential structural alterations in the functional domains of several pathogenicity-associated paralogous gene pairs. We demonstrate that the TE-mediated structural variations in a glycosyl hydrolase domain and a GMC oxidoreductase domain in two paralogous pairs affect the pathogenicity of R. solani. Furthermore, to investigate the association of TEs with the natural selection and evolution of pathogenicity, we sequenced the genomes of forty-two rice field isolates of R. solani AG1-IA. The genomic regions with high population mutation rates and with the lowest nucleotide diversity are enriched with TEs. Genetic diversity analysis predicted the genes that are most likely under diversifying and purifying selections. We present evidence that a smaller variant of a glucosamine phosphate N-acetyltransferase (GNAT) protein, predicted to be under purifying selection, and an LPMP_AA9 domain-containing protein, predicted to be under diversifying selection, are important for the successful pathogenesis of R. solani in rice as well as tomato. Conclusions: Our study has unravelled whole-genome duplication, TE-mediated neofunctionalization of genes and evolution of pathogenicity traits in R. solani AG1-IA. The pathogenicity-associated genes identified during the study can serve as novel targets for disease control.
Foliar application or seed priming of cholic acid-glycine conjugates can mitigate/prevent the rice bacterial leaf blight disease via activating plant defense genes
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2021) Pal, Garima; Mehta, Devashish; Singh, Saurabh; Magal, Kalai; Gupta, Siddhi; Jha, Gopaljee; Bajaj, Avinash; Ramu, Vemanna S.
Xanthomonas Oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) causes bacterial blight and Rhizoctonia solani (R. solani) causes sheath blight in rice accounting for >75% of crop losses. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop strategies for the mitigation of these pathogen infections. In this study, we report the antimicrobial efficacy of Cholic Acid-Glycine Conjugates (CAGCs) against Xoo and R. solani. We show that CAGC C6 is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial and is also able to degrade biofilms. The application of C6 did not hamper plant growth and showed minimal effect on the plant cell membranes. Exogenous application of C6 on pre-infection or post-infection of Xoo on rice susceptible genotype Taichung native (TN1) can mitigate the bacterial load and improve resistance through upregulation of plant defense genes. We further demonstrate that C6 can induce plant defense responses when seeds were primed with C6 CAGC. Therefore, this study demonstrates the potential of CAGCs as effective antimicrobials for crop protection that can be further explored for field applications.
Fungal effectors, the double edge sword of phytopathogens
(Springer Nature Publishing AG, 2021) Pradhan, Amrita; Ghosh, Srayan; Sahoo, Debashis; Jha, Gopaljee
Phyto-pathogenic fungi can cause huge damage to crop production. During millions of years of coexistence, fungi have evolved diverse life-style to obtain nutrients from the host and to colonize upon them. They deploy various proteinaceous as well as non-proteinaceous secreted molecules commonly referred as efectors to sabotage host machinery during the infection process. The efectors are important virulence determinants of pathogenic fungi and play important role in successful pathogenesis, predominantly by avoiding host-surveillance system. However, besides being important for pathogenesis, the fungal efectors end-up being recognized by the resistant cultivars of the host, which mount a strong immune response to ward-of pathogens. Various recent studies involving diferent pathosystem have revealed the virulence/avirulence functions of fungal efectors and their involvement in governing the outcome of host–pathogen interactions. However, the efectors and their cognate resistance gene in the host remain elusive for several economically important fungal pathogens. In this review, using examples from some of the biotrophic, hemi-biotrophic and necrotrophic pathogens, we elaborate the double-edged functions of fungal efectors. We emphasize that knowledge of efector functions can be helpful in efective management of fungal diseases in crop plants.
Genome analysis provides insight about pathogenesis of Indian strains of Rhizoctonia solani in rice
(Springer Nature Publishing AG, 2019) Ghosh, Srayan; Mirza, Neelofar; Kanwar, Poonam; Tyagi, Kriti; Jha, Gopaljee
The Rhizoctonia solani species complex is comprised of strains belonging to different anastomosis groups and causes diseases in several economically important crops, including rice. However, individuals within same anastomosis group exhibit distinct morphological and pathological differences on the same host. In this study, we have sequenced the genome of two aggressive Indian strains (BRS11 and BRS13) belonging to AG1-IA anastomosis group and compared them with the available genome of R. solani AG1-IA. We identified several SNPs and Indels in both of these genomes, in comparison to the AG1-IA genome. Furthermore, we observed expansion and emergence of orthogroups in these Indian strains and identified those potentially associated with pathogenesis. Amongst them, transposable elements, cell wall degrading enzymes, transcription factors, and oxalate decarboxylase were noteworthy. The current study unravels genetic variations and identifies genes that might account for pathogenicity variations amongst R. solani strains.
Glycosyltransferase-like toxin of Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1 is a potent antifungal protein with potential for control of sheath blight disease in rice
(The American Phytopathological Society, 2025) Pradhan, Amrita; Yadav, Sunil K.; Jha, Gopaljee
Sheath blight disease caused by the fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani poses a significant challenge for sustainable rice cultivation. It is important to develop environmentally friendly measures for its control. Previously, a rice-associated Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1 was shown to exhibit mycophagous and antifungal activity on R. solani. Here, we report that a B. gladioli glycosyltransferase-like 1 (BGT1) protein with a canonical D×D (aspartic acid × aspartic acid) motif that is homologous to the glycosyltransferase toxin of different bacteria is encoded in the antibacterial type VI secretion system-encoding gene cluster of NGJ1. The recombinant BGT1 protein purified from Escherichia coli exhibits antifungal activity on R. solani, Magnaporthe oryzae, Fusarium oxysporum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Candida albicans under laboratory conditions. Using a variant of the BGT1 protein (BGT1D168L/D170L), we demonstrate that the D×D motif is important for its antifungal activity. The heterologous expression of native BGT1 but not the BGT1D168L/D170L protein prevents the growth of yeast cells. Moreover, treatment with BGT1 but not BGT1D168L/D170L significantly reduces sheath blight disease severity in rice. BGT1 treatment does not elicit adverse effects on plants. In conclusion, we emphasize that BGT1 protein-based or transgene-based biotechnological interventions can be exploited for effective control of sheath blight disease in rice.