A single-nucleotide mutation in a glutamate receptor-like gene confers resistance to Fusarium wilt in Gossypium hirsutum

Authors: LIU, SHIMING - Huazhong Agricultural University; ZHANG, XIAOJUN - Huazhong Agricultural University; XIAO, SHENGHUA - Huazhong Agricultural University; MA, JUN - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; SHI, WEIJUN - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; QIN, TAO - Huazhong Agricultural University; XI, HUI - Shihezi University; NIE, XINHUI - Shihezi University; YOU, CHUNYUAN - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; XU, ZHENG - Huazhong Agricultural University; WANG, TIANYI - Huazhong Agricultural University; WANG, YUJING - Huazhong Agricultural University; ZHANG, ZHENNAN - Huazhong Agricultural University; LI, JIANYING - Huazhong Agricultural University; KONG, JIE - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; AIERXI, ALIFU - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; YU, YU - Chinese Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; LINDSEY, KEITH - University Of Durham; Klosterman, Steven; ZHANG, XIANLONG - Huazhong Agricultural University; ZHU, LONGFU - Huazhong Agricultural University

Submitted to: Advanced Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/7/2020
Publication Date: 2/19/2021
Citation: Liu, S., Zhang, X., Xiao, S., Ma, J., Shi, W., Qin, T., Xi, H., Nie, X., You, C., Xu, Z., Wang, T., Wang, Y., Zhang, Z., Li, J., Kong, J., Aierxi, A., Yu, Y., Lindsey, K., Klosterman, S.J., Zhang, X., Zhu, L. 2021. A single-nucleotide mutation in a glutamate receptor-like gene confers resistance to Fusarium wilt in Gossypium hirsutum. Advanced Science. 8(7). Article 2002723. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202002723.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202002723

Interpretive Summary: The soilborne fungus Fusarium oxysporum causes vascular wilt disease on important food and fiber crop species worldwide. Developing plant resistance to wilt diseases is necessary for their control, especially with recent limitations in fumigants, and the increased demand for organically produced crops. This study identified a gene in cotton that provides resistance to race 7 Fusarium oxysporum. The study further confirmed the resistance function of this gene in cotton by molecular genetic analyses. The work provides additional tools for more quickly developing Fusarium wilt resistance in cotton and other crops that contain this gene.

Technical Abstract: Fusarium wilt (FW) disease of cotton, caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum (Fov), causes severe losses in cotton production worldwide. Though significant advancements have been made in development of FW-resistant Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) in resistance screening programs, the precise resistance genes and the corresponding molecular mechanisms for resistance to Fov remain unclear. Herein it is reported that Fov7, a gene unlike canonical plant disease-resistance (R) genes, putatively encoding a GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR-LIKE (GLR) protein, confers resistance to Fov race 7 in Upland cotton. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (C/A) in GhGLR4.8, resulting in an amino acid change (L/I), is associated with Fov resistance. A PCR-based DNA marker (GhGLR4.8SNP(A/C)) is developed and shown to cosegregate with the Fov resistance. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of Fov7 results in cotton lines extremely susceptible to Fov race 7 with a loss of the ability to induce calcium influx in response to total secreted proteins (SEPs) of Fov. Furthermore, coinfiltration of SEPs with GhGLR4.8A results in a hypersensitive response. This first report of a GLR-encoding gene that functions as an R gene provides a new insight into plant–pathogen interactions and a new handle to develop cotton cultivars with resistance to Fov race 7.