Identification and Characterization of 2′-Deoxyuridine from the Supernatant of Conidial Suspensions of Rice Blast Fungus as an Infection-Promoting Factor in Rice Plants

We previously detected infection-promoting activity in the supernatant of the conidial suspension (SCS) of the rice blast fungus. In the present study, a molecule carrying the activity was purified and identified as 2′-deoxyuridine (dU). The infection-promoting activity of dU was strictly dependent on its chemical structure and displayed characteristics consistent with those of the SCS. Notably, the activity of dU was exclusively detected during interactions between rice and virulent isolates of the fungus, the number of susceptible lesions in leaf blades was increased by dU, and nonhost resistance in rice plants was not affected by treatment with dU. In addition, the expression of pathogensis-related genes, accumulation of H₂O₂, and production of phytoalexins in rice in response to inoculation with virulent fungal isolates was not suppressed by dU. The infection-promoting activity of dU was not accompanied by elevated levels of endogenous abscissic acid, which is known to modify plant-pathogen interactions, and was not detected in interactions between oat plants and a virulent oat blast fungus isolate. Taken together, these results demonstrate that dU is a novel infection-promoting factor that acts specifically during compatible interactions between rice plants and rice blast fungus in a mode distinct from that of toxins and suppressors.