An ancestral NB-LRR with duplicated 3'UTRs confers stripe rust resistance in wheat and barley.

Authors: ZHANG, CHAOZHONG - University Of Idaho; HUANG, LIN - Sichuan Agricultural University; ZHANG, HUIFEI - University Of Idaho; HAO, QUNQUN - University Of Idaho; LYU, BO - University Of Idaho; WANG, MEINAN - Washington State University; EPSTEIN, LYNN - University Of California, Davis; LIU, MIAO - Sichuan Agricultural University; KOU, CHUNLAN - Sichuan Agricultural University; QI, JUAN - Shandong Agricultural University; CHEN, FENGJUAN - Shandong Agricultural University; LI, MENGKAI - Shandong Agricultural University; GAO, GE - Shandong Agricultural University; NI, FEI - Shandong Agricultural University; ZHANG, LIANQUAN - Sichuan Agricultural University; HAO, MING - Sichuan Agricultural University; WANG, JIRUI - Sichuan Agricultural University; Chen, Xianming; LUO, MING-CHENG - University Of California, Davis; ZHENG, YOULIANG - Sichuan Agricultural University; WU, JIAJIE - Shandong Agricultural University; LIU, DENGCAI - Sichuan Agricultural University; FU, DAOLIN - University Of Idaho

Submitted to: Nature Communications
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/5/2019
Publication Date: 9/6/2019
Citation: Zhang, C., Huang, L., Zhang, H., Hao, Q., Lyu, B., Wang, M., Epstein, L., Liu, M., Kou, C., Qi, J., Chen, F., Li, M., Gao, G., Ni, F., Zhang, L., Hao, M., Wang, J., Chen, X., Luo, M., Zheng, Y., Wu, J., Liu, D., Fu, D. 2019. An ancestral NB-LRR with duplicated 3'UTRs confers stripe rust resistance in wheat and barley.. Nature Communications. (2019)10:4023(1-12). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11872-9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11872-9

Interpretive Summary: Wheat stripe rust is a global threat to wheat production. To date, an increasing number of stripe rust resistance genes have lost efficacy due to the emergence of new races of the stripe rust pathogen. The wheat D-genome progenitor, Aegilops tauschii, is the source of stripe rust resistance gene YrAS2388. Using positional cloning, mutagenesis and transgenics, we reveal that YrAS2388 has a combination of a four-helical bundle (which was previously classified as a coiled-coil), nucleotide-binding, and leucine-rich repeat domains. However, YrAS2388 is an unusual resistance gene in that it has alternative splicing in conserved domains and two paralogous 3’ untranslated regions. We show that the YrAS2388 gene provides resistance to wheat stripe rust when transformed in common wheat and also to barley stripe rust when transformed in barley. Although the YrAS2388 gene is common in Aegilops tauschii and synthetic wheat, it was absent in all 461 hexaploid wheat varieties tested. We also demonstrated that the use of the YrAS2388 gene had no detrimental effect on yield and other agronomic traits in hexaploid wheat. The cloning of YrAS2388 here will facilitate breeding for stripe rust resistance in wheat and other cereal crops.

Technical Abstract: Wheat stripe rust (or yellow rust), caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is a global threat to wheat production. To date, an increasing number of yellow rust (Yr) resistance genes have lost efficacy due to the emergence of new Pst races. The wheat D-genome progenitor, Aegilops tauschii, is the source of YrAS2388. Using positional cloning, mutagenesis and transgenics, we reveal that YrAS2388 has a combination of a four-helical bundle (which was previously classified as a coiled-coil), nucleotide-binding, and leucine-rich repeat domains. However, YrAS2388 is an unusual resistance gene in that it has alternative splicing in conserved domains and two paralogous 3’ untranslated regions. We show that the YrAS2388 gene provides resistance to Pst when transformed in common wheat and also to P. striiformis f. sp. hordei when transformed in barley. Although the YrAS2388 gene is common in Ae. tauschii and synthetic wheat, it was absent in 100% (n=461) of the hexaploid wheat lines tested. We also demonstrated that the use of the YrAS2388 gene had no detrimental effect on yield and other agronomic traits in hexaploid wheat. The cloning of YrAS2388 here will facilitate breeding for stripe rust resistance in wheat and other Triticeae species.