22 Aug 2019 --- Researchers at the John Innes Centre have come one step closer to genetically engineering rice that is resistant to a globally devastating fungus. The discovery, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, provides new insights into how rice’s immune receptors recognize and bind to fungal proteins. With a grip on how the grain fights illness, researchers hope to arm a variety of rice with the receptors it needs to resist rice blast disease. The fungus causes losses of up to a third of the global rice harvest – enough to feed 60 million people each year, reports the institute.
