Discovery of the rosalexin pathway expands the modular network of maize diterpenoid chemical defenses.
Anna E. Cowie, Gabrielle Wyatt, Siena L. Schumaker, Ahmed Khalil, Alicia Ross, Shamita Bhattacharjee, Jishnu Narayanan S J, Yezhang Ding, David Hurd, Jedidiah O Peek, Elly Poretsky, Alisa Huffaker, Dean Joseph Tantillo, Dan Thomas Major, Eric A. Schmelz, Philipp Zerbe
The paper discovers and characterizes the rosalexin biosynthesis pathway in maize, showing its role in antifungal defense and genetic variation across genotypes.
bioRxiv · Apr 17, 2026 · PreprintPlant Biology