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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Cereal Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #390370
Research Project: Host-Pathogen Interactions in Fungal Diseases of Wheat and Barley

Location: Cereal Crops Research

Title: Validation and characterization of Pyrenophora teres f. teres effectors VR1 and VR2 conferring virulence on Rika barley

Author
item LI, JINLING - North Dakota State University
item Wyatt, Nathan
item BRUEGGEMAN, ROBERT - North Dakota State University
item Friesen, Timothy

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/9/2021
Publication Date: 3/15/2022
Citation: Li, J., Wyatt, N.A., Brueggeman, R.S., Friesen, T.L. 2022. Validation and characterization of Pyrenophora teres f. teres effectors VR1 and VR2 conferring virulence on Rika barley. In: Fungal Genetics Conference, Mar. 15-20,2022, Pacific Grove, CA.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The fungal pathogen Pyrenophora teres f. teres causes the barley foliar disease net form net blotch (NFNB), a devastating disease with the potential to cause substantial yield loss across barley growing regions worldwide. Although P. teres f. teres has been increasingly recognized as an economically important barley pathogen, little is known of the molecular mechanisms involved in P. teres f. teres virulence. A previous study using a biparental population of P. teres f. teres isolates 15A and 6A identified two quantitative trait loci (QTL), namely, VR1 and VR2, each conferring virulence contributed by isolate 6A on Rika barley, however, the specific genes underlying fungal virulence remain unknown. In this study, we identified several candidate genes, with priority given to genes encoding small, secreted proteins (SSPs), that were polymorphic between the parental isolates. CRISPR-Cas9 based gene disruption of one of the candidate genes within the VR1 QTL region made a virulent progeny isolate harbouring VR1 but not VR2 avirulent on Rika barley. Also, an isolate avirulent on Rika complemented with VR1 made this new strain virulent on Rika barley, further supporting this gene as the VR1 effector gene contributing virulence on Rika barley. Five candidate genes were also identified within the VR2 QTL region. Gene disruption of one of these candidate genes made a virulent isolate avirulent on Rika barley, indicating that this gene was VR2. Additional gene characterization is underway using CRISPR-Cas9-based gene editing of VR1 and VR2 in their native positions.