# Rice protein NIB1 detects stink bug RNase products and triggers defence, CAS study

- Published: 2026-11-13 15:52 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Biology & biochemistry
- Tags: plant immunity, NIB1 protein, EDS1, 2',3'-cNMP, T2 ribonuclease, green stink bug, rice defence, phase separation, RNA-binding protein, crop protection
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-f1707d1e124b125eabd38f89_rice_protein_nib1/

**Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences identified how rice perceives RNA breakdown products from the saliva of a sucking insect and activates immune signalling.**

![Rice protein NIB1 detects stink bug RNase products and triggers defence, CAS study](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/c79fec9e52191051.jpg)
*Basile Morin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0*

Researchers at the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CEMPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, led by Chen Xiaoya in collaboration with Wan Li's team, reported in Nature on 12 November how rice senses feeding by the green stink bug. The protein NIB1, a glycine-rich RNA-binding protein, detects nucleotide products of an insect ribonuclease and triggers a defence response [1]. Insect pests threaten crop production, and until now it was unknown how plants perceive such host-derived signals.

## How the insect signal is formed

Sucking insects inject digestive enzymes, including RNases, into the host plant to acquire nutrients. According to the authors, a salivary T2 ribonuclease of the green stink bug (named NVR1 in the institute's release) produces 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide monophosphates (2',3'-cAMP and 2',3'-cGMP) and adenylyl-(3'→5')-guanosine 2',3'-cyclic phosphate (ApG>p) during feeding [1]. RNA-derived nucleotides with a 2',3'-cyclophosphate end were already known as immune signalling molecules in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, but how plants perceive them remained unknown [1].

NIB1 binds these products. Binding promotes liquid–liquid phase separation of NIB1 and the formation of nuclear condensates. The condensates recruit the core immune regulator Enhanced Disease Susceptibility 1 (EDS1), which activates downstream defence [1].

## Scope of the mechanism

Exogenous application of 2',3'-cAMP, 2',3'-cGMP or ApG>p elicited immune responses mediated by NIB1 and EDS1 [1]. The authors note that T2 ribonucleases are common in herbivorous insects, including the rice leaf folder, green mirid and cotton bollworm, and that NIB1-homologous RNA-binding proteins are widely distributed across land plants. They suggest the mechanism may be a broadly used strategy in plant–insect interactions [1].

The paper also points to a possible link with Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) proteins, which produce the same nuclease products. The authors propose that the pathway may contribute to TIR immune signalling and connects plant TIR nuclease activity with EDS1 signalling [1]. The researchers describe the RNA degradation products as potential immune activators for crop protection and the work as a step towards studying RNA-centred networks in plant immunity.

## Sources

1. [Nature](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11259-z)
2. [EurekAlert](https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1151624)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-f1707d1e124b125eabd38f89_rice_protein_nib1/