Orthologous genes Pm12 and Pm21 from two wild relatives of wheat show evolutionary conservation but divergent powdery mildew resistance

Wheat powdery mildew, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt), is a devastating disease that threatens wheat production worldwide. Pm12, which originated from Aegilops speltoides, a wild relative of wheat, confers strong resistance to powdery mildew and therefore has potential use in wheat breeding. Using susceptible mutants induced by gamma irradiation, we physically mapped and isolated Pm12 and showed it to be orthologous to Pm21 from Dasypyrum villosum, also a wild relative of wheat. The resistance function of Pm12 was validated via ethyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis, virus-induced gene silencing, and stable genetic transformation. Evolutionary analysis indicates that the Pm12/Pm21 loci in wheat species are relatively conserved but dynamic. Here, we demonstrated that the two orthologous genes, Pm12 and Pm21, possess differential resistance against the same set of Bgt isolates. Overexpression of the coiled-coil domains of both PM12 and PM21 induces cell death in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. However, their full-length forms display different cell death-inducing activities caused by their distinct intramolecular interactions. Cloning of Pm12 will facilitate its application in wheat breeding programs. This study also gives new insight into two orthologous resistance genes, Pm12 and Pm21, which show different race specificities and intramolecular interaction patterns.

Inheritance and Characterization of Rph27: A Third Race-Specific Resistance Gene in the Barley Cultivar Quinn

The barley cultivar Quinn was previously reported to carry two genes for resistance to Puccinia hordei, viz. Rph2 and Rph5. In this study, we characterized and mapped a third resistance gene (RphCRQ3) in cultivar Quinn. Multipathotype testing in the greenhouse on a panel of barley genotypes previously postulated to carry Rph2 revealed rare race specificity in four genotypes in response to P. hordei pathotype (pt.) 222 P+ (virulent on Rph2 and Rph5). This suggested either the presence of a race-specific allele variant of Rph2 or the presence of an independent uncharacterized leaf rust resistance locus. A test of allelism on 1,271 F₂ Peruvian (Rph2)/Quinn (Rph2 + Rph5) derived seedlings with P. hordei pt. 220 P+ (avirulent on Rph2 and virulent on Rph5) revealed no susceptible segregants. To determine whether the race-specific resistance in Quinn was due to an allele of Rph2 on chromosome 5H or a third uncharacterized resistance gene, we tested the Peruvian/Quinn F₃ population with 222 P+ and observed monogenic inheritance. Subsequent bulked segregant analysis indicated the presence of complete in-phase marker fixation near the telomere on the short arm of chromosome 4H, confirming the presence of a third resistance locus in Quinn in addition to Rph2 and Rph5. In accordance with the rules and numbering system of barley gene nomenclature, RphCRQ3 has been designated Rph27.