Due to rapid emergence of weeds that are resistant to commercial herbicides such as glyphosate and glufosinate, the need for new herbicides with novel mode of action is more urgent than ever. Here we describe recent discoveries in our labs (Tang and Jacobsen) a natural product that inhibits dihydroxyacid dehydrogenase (DHAD), a long sought-after target for herbicide development. The compound was mined from sequenced fungal genomes through a target-based approach. We developed a scalable platform for producing the compound, showed that it can potently inhibit plant DHAD (Ki ~ 300 nM), and can effectively shut down plant growth <i>in planta</i>. We also found a resistance enzyme that can be used as a transgene for generating transgenic crops.

Resistance-gene directed discovery of a natural product herbicide with a new mode of action

2019 Fall National Meeting

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