Host‐induced gene silencing of an important pathogenicity factor PsCPK1 in Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici enhances resistance of wheat to stripe rust

Rust fungi are devastating plant pathogens and cause a large economic impact on wheat production worldwide. To overcome this rapid loss of resistance in varieties, we generated stable transgenic wheat plants expressing short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting potentially vital genes of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst). Protein kinase A (PKA) has been proved to play important roles in regulating the virulence of phytopathogenic fungi. PsCPK1, a PKA catalytic subunit gene from Pst, is highly induced at the early infection stage of Pst. The instantaneous silencing of PsCPK1 by barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV)‐mediated host‐induced gene silencing (HIGS) results in a significant reduction in the length of infection hyphae and disease phenotype. These results indicate that PsCPK1 is an important pathogenicity factor by regulating Pst growth and development. Two transgenic lines expressing the RNA interference (RNAi) construct in a normally susceptible wheat cultivar displayed high levels of stable and consistent resistance to Pst throughout the T₃ to T₄ generations. The presence of the interfering RNAs in transgenic wheat plants was confirmed by northern blotting, and these RNAs were found to efficiently down‐regulate PsCPK1 expression in wheat. This study addresses important aspects for the development of fungal‐derived resistance through the expression of silencing constructs in host plants as a powerful strategy to control cereal rust diseases.     

温室条件下条形柄锈菌体细胞重组的分子确证

为了获得温室条件下条形柄锈菌发生体细胞重组而导致毒性变异的直接证据,本研究选取7个美国条形柄锈菌小麦专化型菌系和2个美国条形柄锈菌大麦专化型菌系按照夏孢子颜色和专化型与毒性差异组成9对菌系组合,对于室内混合接种产生的子代菌系用具有不同抗性的小麦或大麦品种进行筛选,采用毒性分析及SSR分子标记技术对条形柄锈菌体细胞重组现象进行了研究。对获取的413个单孢子代菌系进行的毒性分析结果显示,有84个单孢子代菌系的毒性谱表现与亲本菌系不同,初步证明体细胞重组过程的存在。SSR标记分析结果显示,11对SSR引物中有6对引物在5对菌系组合的28个毒性谱不同的单孢子代菌系中,检测发现3个单孢菌系的扩增条带与其亲本菌系不同,且表现为亲本菌系扩增条带的重组,为体细胞重组菌系。这一结果从分子水平上证明了条形柄锈菌在室内接种条件下可以通过体细胞重组产生新小种而导致毒性变异。     

Early molecular diagnosis and detection of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici in China

Aims: Wheat stripe (yellow) rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is the most important foliar disease on wheat in China. Early molecular diagnosis and detection of stripe rust will provide a useful aid to the accurate forecast and seasonal control of this destructive disease. Our objective was to develop PCR assays for the rapid identification and detection of P. striiformis. Methods and Results: The genomic DNA of P. striiformis and P. triticina were amplified by a pair of primers derived from conserved β‐tubulin gene sequence. A 235‐bp specific DNA fragment of P. striiformis was isolated and purified. Based on its sequence, another two primer sets were designed successfully to obtain new sequence‐characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers of P. striiformis, which could be amplified in all test isolates of P. striiformis, whereas no DNA fragment was obtained in other nontarget wheat pathogens. The detection limit of the primer set YR (f)/YR (r1) was 2·20 pg μl^?1. The new SCAR markers of P. striiformis can also be detected in Pst‐infected wheat leaves postinoculated for 2 days. Conclusions: Our assays are significantly faster than the conventional methods used in the identification of P. striiformis. Significance and Impact of the Study: Development of a simple, high‐throughput assay kit for the rapid diagnosis and detection of wheat stripe rust would be anticipated in a further study.     

小麦抗条锈病近等基因系感染条锈病后丁布含量变化

选用2套遗传背景不同的抗条锈病近等基因系作为供试寄主材料,研究了不同抗条锈病近等基因系丁布的含量及其在感病过程中丁布含量的动态变化.结果表明,在未受病菌侵染情况下,2套分别含有Yr2、Yr9和YrSpP基因的近等基因系（抗病系）与其轮回亲本Taichung 29、铭贤169(感病系)间丁布含量没有显著差异（P＞0.05）.接种条锈病菌后,感病系在病菌侵染初期丁布含量下降,而抗病系在病菌侵染初期丁布含量迅速大幅度上升.感染条锈病最终导致感病植株丁布含量比未接种的植株明显减少, 感病系的减少幅度明显高于抗病系.在整个病程中,抗病系丁布的含量始终高于感病系,表明接种条件下小麦植株体内丁布含量变化与小麦抗条锈近等基因系的抗性有关.     

中国小麦条锈菌转主寄主小檗的鉴定

用萌发的小麦条锈菌冬孢子接种采自陕西省境内的陕西小檗、少齿小檗和长穗小檗,3种小檗均产生了性孢子器和锈孢子器。用人工接种小麦条锈菌冬孢子在陕西小檗上产生的锈孢子器接种小麦铭贤169产生了典型的条锈菌夏孢子堆症状。特异性PCR和DNA序列分析表明,人工接种产生于小檗上的锈孢子、接种锈孢子于小麦上产生的夏孢子堆与小麦条锈菌DNA的ITS区序列完全一致。更为重要的是,用采自田间受锈菌侵染的小檗叶片产生的锈孢子接种小麦铭贤169,经培养在小麦铭贤169叶片上产生了典型的条锈病症状。从而证实,在自然条件下,在中国,小檗不仅可作为小麦条锈菌的转主寄主,而且小麦条锈菌可在小檗上完成其有性繁殖过程。这一发现对进一步揭示我国小麦条锈菌高度的群体遗传多样性与毒性变异机理、完善小麦条锈病的防治策略具有十分重要的理论和实际意义。     

Quantitative resistance of some Elite wheat lines to Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici

Host resistance is the most economical way to manage wheat stripe rust caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici. Slow rusting, a type of quantitative resistance, has been reported to last for a long time. Quantitative resistance, in terms of slow rusting parameters including final rust severity (FRS), apparent infection rate (r), relative area under disease progress curve (rAUDPC) and coefficient of infection (CI), was evaluated in a set of 29 wheat genotypes along with susceptible control during 2008–2009 and 2009–2010 cropping seasons. This study was conducted in field plots at Ardabil Agricultural Research Station (Iran) under natural infection conditions with two times artificial inoculation. Artificial inoculation was carried out by yellow rust inoculum having virulent genes against Yr2, Yr6, Yr7, Yr9, Yr22, Yr23, Yr24, Yr25, Yr26, Yr27, YrA and YrSU. Results of mean comparison for resistance parameters showed that lines C-86-1, C-86-2, C-87-1 and C-87-3 along with susceptible had the highest values of FRS, CI, r and rAUDPC, therefore were selected as susceptible lines. The lines C-86-3, C-86-9, C-87-2, C-87-6, C-87-8, C-87-11 and C-87-18 were susceptible at the seedling stage and had low level infection at adult plant stage. Consequently, these lines with low different parameters most probably have slow rusting resistance. The remaining lines had no infection or were at low level of infection. Thus, they were selected as resistant or moderately resistant lines. In this study, correlation coefficient between different parameters of slow rusting was significantly high (r = 0.92–0.99).     

Isolation of twelve microsatellite loci,using an enrichment protocol,in the phytopathogenic fungus Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici

We report the characterization of 12 microsatellite markers in the biotrophic fungus Puccinia striiformis f.sp. tritici, responsible for yellow rust on wheat. An enrichment protocol was used to isolate microsatellite loci, and polymorphism was explored with 96 isolates from natural populations collected from several French and Chinese locations. Eight primers (67%) showed cross‐amplification when tested with eight isolates of P. triticina.     

条形柄锈菌小麦专化型葡萄糖-6-磷酸脱氢酶基因PsG6PDH1的表达特征及功能分析

葡萄糖-6-磷酸脱氢酶是磷酸戊糖途径中的关键限速酶。基于已测序的条形柄锈菌小麦专化型基因组序列,利用RT-PCR方法克隆了该病菌葡萄糖-6-磷酸脱氢酶PsG6PDH1的全长cDNA序列（1 497bp）,编码498个氨基酸的蛋白。编码蛋白含有葡萄糖-6-磷酸脱氢酶的保守功能域。系统进化分析发现,PsG6PDH1与禾柄锈菌小麦专化型的G6PDH聚为一簇。qRT-PCR分析表明,PsG6PDH1在病菌侵染早期的表达明显上调,其中侵染24h时表达量最高,为对照夏孢子的30倍。将PsG6PDH1导入酿酒酵母G6PDH缺失突变体中成功表达,并表现出较强的葡萄糖-6-磷酸脱氢酶活性,明显酵母增强了菌株对过氧化氢的耐受性。由此推测,PsG6PDH1可能参与了条形柄锈菌小麦专化型在侵染寄主时抵御寄主的氧化胁迫反应。研究结果为进一步研究该病菌基础代谢及侵染机理奠定一定的理论基础。     

Development of a sequence‐characterized amplified region marker using inter‐simple sequence repeats for detection of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici

Stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is the most devastating wheat disease in China. Early and accurate detection of the pathogens would facilitate effective control of the diseases. DNA‐based methods now provide essential tools for accurate plant disease diagnosis. In this study, inter‐simple sequence repeats (ISSR) technique has been successfully applied to develop a sequence‐characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker for diagnosis of stripe rust of wheat and detection of Pst. In this study, one fragment unique to Pst was identified by ISSR and then sequenced. Based on the specific fragment, a pair of SCAR primers (616AF/616AR) was designed to amplify a 299‐bp DNA fragment within the sequenced region. The primers can amplify a unique DNA fragment for all tested isolates of Pst but not for the other pathogens of wheat leaves and the uninfected leaves. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay could detect as low as 0.1 ng of genomic DNA in a 25.0 μl PCR reaction mixture and detect the pathogen from asymptomatic wheat leaves inoculated with Pst under glasshouse conditions.     

Comparative virulence phenotypes and molecular genotypes of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, the wheat stripe rust pathogen in China and the United States

Stripe rust (yellow rust) of wheat, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, is one of the most important diseases in both China and the United States. The Chinese and US populations of the stripe rust fungus were compared for their virulence phenotypes on wheat cultivars used to differentiate races of the pathogen in China and the US and molecular genotypes using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. From 86 Chinese isolates, 54 races were identified based on reactions on the 17 Chinese differentials and 52 races were identified based on the 20 US differentials. The selected 51 US isolates, representing 50 races based on the US differentials, were identified as 41 races using the Chinese differentials. A total of 132 virulence phenotypes were identified from the 137 isolates based on reactions on both Chinese and US differentials. None of the isolates from the two countries had identical virulence phenotypes on both sets of differentials. From the 137 isolates, SSR markers identified 102 genotypes, of which 71 from China and 31 from the US. The virulence data clustered the 137 isolates into 20 virulence groups (VGs) and the marker data clustered the isolates into seven molecular groups (MGs). Virulence and SSR data had a low (r = 0.34), but significant (P = 0.01) correlation. Principal component analyses using either the virulence data or the SSR data separated the isolates into three groups: group a consisting of only Chinese isolates, group b consisting of both Chinese and US isolates and group c consisting of mostly US isolates. A neighbour-joining tree generated using the molecular data suggested that the P. striiformis f. sp. tritici populations of China and the US in general evolved independently.     

A polysaccharide deacetylase from Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici is an important pathogenicity gene that suppresses plant immunity

The cell wall of filamentous fungi, comprised of chitin, polysaccharide and glycoproteins, maintains the integrity of hyphae and protect them from defence responses by potential host plants. Here, we report that one polysaccharide deacetylase of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), Pst_13661, suppresses Bax‐induced cell death in plants and Pst_13661 is highly induced during early stages of the interaction between wheat and Pst. Importantly, the transgenic wheat expressing the RNA interference (RNAi) construct of Pst_13661 exhibits high resistance to major Pst epidemic races CYR31, CYR32 and CYR33 by inhibiting growth and development of Pst, indicating that Pst_13661 is an available pathogenicity factor and is a potential target for generating broad‐spectrum resistance breeding material of wheat. It forms a homo‐polymer and has high affinity for chitin and germ tubes of Pst compared with the control. Besides, Pst_13661 suppresses chitin‐induced plant defence in plants. Hence, we infer that Pst_13661 may modify the fungal cell wall to prevent recognition by apoplastic surveillance systems in plants. This study opens new approaches for developing durable disease‐resistant germplasm by disturbing the growth and development of fungi and develops novel strategies to control crop diseases.     

小麦条锈菌PsNCS1基因的克隆及转录表达特征

摘要：【目的】克隆小麦条锈菌神经钙离子感应蛋白基因PsNCS1,分析其在病菌不同发育时期的表达水平。【方法】利用文库筛选和RT-PCR技术克隆PsNCS1的cDNA序列,采用生物信息学技术预测分析该基因编码蛋白的保守结构域及基本特性,构建系统发育树;运用实时荧光定量RT-PCR技术分析PsNCS1在病菌不同生长发育时期的表达水平。【结果】PsNCS1全长cDNA为1007 bp（GenBank登录号GU134621）,开放阅读框为573 bp,编码190个氨基酸,分子量为22.17 kDa, 等电点为4.     

四川省小麦条锈菌群体遗传多样性的SSR分析

利用TP-M13-SSR自动荧光检测技术,对四川省小麦条锈菌群体遗传多样性水平进行了分析。研究结果表明,四川省小麦条锈菌群体遗传多样性比较丰富,地区之间存在明显的差异,川西北和四川盆地的种群遗传多样性相对较高,而四川西南部和四川东南部的种群遗传多样性较低。四川小麦条锈菌群体存在一定的遗传分化,地区间的遗传变异仅占14.92%,群体间的遗传变异占总变异的23.06%,群体内遗传变异占60.02%,遗传变异主要存在于群体内部。基因流和共享基因型从分子水平证实了四川小麦条锈菌在地区间的传播,且川西北和四川盆地之间的菌源交流最为广泛。     

TaCIPK10 interacts with and phosphorylates TaNH2 to activate wheat defense responses to stripe rust

Calcineurin B‐like interacting protein kinase (CIPKs) has been shown to be required for biotic stress tolerance of plants in plant‐pathogen interactions. However, the roles of CIPKs in immune signalling of cereal crops and an in‐depth knowledge of substrates of CIPKs in response to biotic stress are under debate. In this study, we identified and cloned a CIPK homologue gene TaCIPK10 from wheat. TaCIPK10 was rapidly induced by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) inoculation and salicylic acid (SA) treatment. In vitro phosphorylation assay demonstrated that the kinase activity of TaCIPK10 is regulated by Ca²⁺ and TaCBL4. Knockdown TaCIPK10 significantly reduced wheat resistance to Pst, whereas TaCIPK10 overexpression resulted in enhanced wheat resistance to Pst by the induction of defense response in different aspects, including hypersensitive cell death, ROS accumulation and pathogenesis‐relative genes expression. Moreover, TaCIPK10 physically interacted with and phosphorylated TaNH2, which was homologous to AtNPR3/4. Silencing of TaNH2 in wheat resulted in enhanced susceptibility to the avirulent Pst race, CYR23, indicating its positive role in wheat resistance. Our results demonstrate that TaCIPK10 positively regulate wheat resistance to Pst as molecular links between of Ca²⁺ and downstream components of defense response and TaCIPK10 interacts with and phosphorylates TaNH2 to regulate wheat resistance to Pst.     

The Puccinia striiformis effector Hasp98 facilitates pathogenicity by blocking the kinase activity of wheat TaMAPK4

The obligate biotrophic fungus Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) employs virulence effectors to disturb host immunity and causes devastating stripe rust disease. However, our understanding of how Pst effectors regulate host defense responses remains limited. In this study, we determined that the Pst effector Hasp98, which is highly expressed in Pst haustoria, inhibits plant immune responses triggered by flg22 or nonpathogenic bacteria. Overexpression of Hasp98 in wheat (Triticum aestivum) suppressed avirulent Pst-triggered immunity, leading to decreased H₂O₂ accumulation and promoting P. striiformis infection, whereas stable silencing of Hasp98 impaired P. striiformis pathogenicity. Hasp98 interacts with the wheat mitogen-activated protein kinase TaMAPK4, a positive regulator of plant resistance to stripe rust. The conserved TEY motif of TaMAPK4 is important for its kinase activity, which is required for the resistance function. We demonstrate that Hasp98 inhibits the kinase activity of TaMAPK4 and that the stable silencing of TaMAPK4 compromises wheat resistance against P. striiformis. These results suggest that Hasp98 acts as a virulence effector to interfere with the MAPK signaling pathway in wheat, thereby promoting P. striiformis infection.     

TaRBP1 stabilizes TaGLTP and negatively regulates stripe rust resistance in wheat

The dynamic balance and distribution of sphingolipid metabolites modulate the level of programmed cell death and plant defence. However, current knowledge is still limited regarding the molecular mechanism underlying the relationship between sphingolipid metabolism and plant defence. In this study, we identified a wheat RNA-binding protein 1 (TaRBP1) and TaRBP1 mRNA accumulation significantly decreased in wheat after infection by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst). Knockdown of TaRBP1 via virus-induced gene silencing conferred strong resistance to Pst by enhancing host plant reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and cell death, indicating that TaRBP1 may act as a negative regulator in response to Pst. TaRBP1 formed a homopolymer and interacted with TaRBP1 C-terminus in plants. Additionally, TaRBP1 physically interacted with TaGLTP, a sphingosine transfer protein. Knockdown of TaGLTP enhanced wheat resistance to the virulent Pst CYR31. Sphingolipid metabolites showed a significant accumulation in TaGLTP-silenced wheat and TaRBP1-silenced wheat, respectively. In the presence of the TaRBP1 protein, TaGLTP failed to be degraded in a 26S proteasome-dependent manner in plants. Our results reveal a novel susceptible mechanism by which a plant fine-tunes its defence responses by stabilizing TaGLTP accumulation to suppress ROS and sphingolipid accumulation during Pst infection.     

Induced chitinase activity in resistant wheat leaves inoculated with an incompatible race of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici,the causal agent of yellow rust disease

Chitinase specific activity was measured spectrophotometrically in wheat leaf tissues during the compatible and incompatible interactions with Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, the causal agent of yellow rust disease. The wheat cultivar, Federation^* 4/Kavkaz, was inoculated with virulent (134E134A+) or avirulent (4EOA+) races of P. striiformis f. sp. tritici in the first leaf stage. The results showed that chitinase activity pattern was similar in both compatible and incompatible interactions up to 72 hrs after inoculation. However, the specific activity increased rapidly in the incompatible reaction thereafter. In susceptible reaction, chitinase activity gradually declined after 72 hrs post-inoculation reaching a level similar to that in the control plants two weeks after inoculation. Chitinase specific activity in resistance response was at least three times greater than that in the susceptible reaction two weeks following the inoculation. Electrophoresis of native polyacrylamide gel impregnated with 0.1% (w/v) glycol chitinas the substrate revealed the presence of eight chitinase isoforms with relative electrophoretic mobility (R_m) values ranging from 0.11 to 0.64 in the resolving gel. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The RLK protein TaCRK10 activates wheat high-temperature seedling-plant resistance to stripe rust through interacting with TaH2A.1

Plants sense various pathogens and activate immunity responses through receptor-like kinases (RLKs). Cysteine-rich receptor-like kinases (CRKs) are involved in massive transduction pathways upon perception of a pathogen. However, the roles of CRKs in response to stripe rust are unclear. In the present study, we identified a CRK gene (designated TaCRK10) from wheat variety Xiaoyan 6 (XY6) that harbors high-temperature seedling-plant (HTSP) resistance to stripe rust caused by fungal pathogen Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst). The expression level of TaCRK10 was induced by Pst inoculation and high temperature treatment. Knockdown of TaCRK10 by virus-induced gene silencing resulted in attenuated wheat HTSP resistance to Pst, whereas there is no effect on Pst development and host responses under normal temperatures. Notably, overexpression of TaCRK10 in susceptible variety Fielder provided resistance only under normal temperatures at 14 days with reactive oxygen species accumulation and defense-related gene expression of the salicylic acid pathway. Moreover, TaCRK10 physically interacted with and phosphorylated a histone variant TaH2A.1, which belongs to the H2A.W group. Silencing of TaH2A.1 suppressed wheat resistance to Pst, indicating that TaH2A.1 plays a positive role in wheat resistance to Pst. Thus, TaCRK10 serves as an important sensor of Pst infection and high temperatures, and it activates wheat resistance to Pst through regulating nuclear processes. This knowledge helps elucidate the molecular mechanism of wheat HTSP resistance to Pst and promotes efforts in developing wheat varieties with resistance to stripe rust.