Myo-inositol metabolism counteracts mycotoxin hijacking and confers broad resistance to fungal diseases in crops.

Increasing MIPS expression in wheat and maize confers up to 88% reduction in DON accumulation and rescues 43% of yield loss in Fusarium disease.

• Why it matters: Fusarium pathogens produce mycotoxins like DON to promote disease, causing significant crop yield loss and food safety issues, but how crops counteract this remains unclear.
• What they did: The study identified that DON hijacks wheat NAD+-dependent enzymes and that MIPS redirects myo-inositol-phosphoinositide metabolism to sequester DON into vacuoles, counteracting its cytoplasmic effects; field trials showed increased MIPS expression reduces DON and improves yield.
• The result: This work demonstrates a metabolic "hijacking-counteracting" framework that enables broad resistance to Fusarium diseases in crops, offering a promising strategy for crop protection and mycotoxin management.