Jasmonate are an important class of fatty acid-derived signal molecules that orchestrate plant development and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. The canonical jasmonate perception model is based on work in dicot plants that possess only one single CORONATINE-INSENSITIVE (COI) receptor for the perception of JAs. 

However, cereals such as rice, maize and wheat possess two groups of COI genes whose respective roles in JA perception and signaling specificity are not understood. Rice possesses three OsCOI genes, and previous studies attributed functions in jasmonate signaling mainly to OsCOI1a and OsCOI1b. In this seminar, I will present our recent results indicating that JA responses such as root defense and root development are under control of the cereal specific OsCOI2 jasmonate receptor.