Phenylalanine ammonia lyases (PALs) are pivotal enzymes for the biosynthesis of lignin, salicylic acid (SA), and other phenylalanine-derived metabolites.Although the functions of PAL genes in plant defense have been studied for over two decades [1], how these genes regulate plant immunity remains obscure.Rice blast (caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae), bacterial blight (caused by the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae or Xoo), and the insect pest brown planthopper (BPH) (Nilaparvata lugens St(a)l, Hemiptera, Delphacidae) are the most serious threats to global rice production and food security [2,3].Three recent studies demonstrated that OsPAL genes can be modulated by the R2R3 MYB transcription factor (TF), the RNA-recognition motif (RRM) protein, and the tetratricopeptide repeats (TPR)-domain RNA-binding protein at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels, and that such modulation leads to broad-spectrum resistance to pathogens and insect pests of rice [4-6].