Function and evolution of allelic variations of Sr13 conferring resistance to stem rust in tetraploid wheat (Triticum turgidum L.)

The resistance gene Sr13 is one of the most important genes in durum wheat for controlling stem rust caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt). The Sr13 functional gene CNL13 has haplotypes R1, R2 and R3. The R1/R3 and R2 haplotypes were originally designated as alleles Sr13a and Sr13b, respectively. To detect additional Sr13 alleles, we developed Kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP™) marker KASPSr13 and four semi-thermal asymmetric reverse PCR markers, rwgsnp37–rwgsnp40, based on the CNL13 sequence. These markers were shown to detect R1, R2 and R3 haplotypes in a panel of diverse tetraploid wheat accessions. We also observed the presence of Sr13 in durum line CAT-A1, although it lacked any of the known haplotypes. Sequence analysis revealed that CNL13 of CAT-A1 differed from the susceptible haplotype S1 by a single nucleotide (C2200T) in the leucine-rich repeat region and differed from the other three R haplotypes by one or two additional nucleotides, confirming that CAT-A1 carries a new (R4) haplotype. Stem rust tests on the monogenic, transgenic and mutant lines showed that R1 differed from R3 in its susceptibility to races TCMJC and THTSC, whereas R4 differed from all other haplotypes for susceptibility to TTKSK, TPPKC and TCCJC. Based on these differences, we designate the R1, R3 and R4 haplotypes as alleles Sr13a, Sr13c and Sr13d, respectively. This study indicates that Sr13d may be the primitive functional allele originating from the S1 haplotype via a point mutation, with the other three R alleles probably being derived from Sr13d through one or two additional point mutations.     

Field tests of bacteria and soil-applied fungicides as control agents for take-all in winter wheat

Putative biological and chemical treatments for controlling take-all were used in each of three consecutive years at two locations where winter wheat crops were grown in naturally-infested fields. The chemical treatments more often decreased take-all than the biological treatments, but no treatment consistently and significantly decreased take-all, nor did any cause a significant increase in yield. An isolate of Bacillus cereus var. mycoides and one of B. pumilis, applied as soil drenches in autumn or spring, or in the seed furrows, were usually ineffective. Of the few significant effects on disease, half were associated with increases and half with decreases, and most occurred in April and did not persist to late June. Two strains of Pseudomonas pluorescens applied to the seed were ineffective. The fungicide benomyl, applied as a drench in autumn and spring at 20 kg/ha was ineffective, while nuarimol, applied as a drench in autumn at 2 kg/ha was sometimes effective. Nuarimol incorporated into the seed bed at 2 kg/ha was the most effective treatment. In analyses using a functional relationship model for data from treated and untreated plots 12% of 176 data sets for biological treatments, 38% of 96 data sets for chemical treatments and 81% of 16 data sets for combined treatments showed increasing efficiency of the treatment with increasing disease intensity. These findings also demonstrate an additional advantage of the experimental design, namely that treatments are tested at different disease intensity levels within fields.     

The effect of cereal break crops on barley mild mosaic virus

The effects of growing one, two or three years of resistant barley or winter wheat on barley mild mosaic virus were studied in experiments on two naturally-infested sites in Gloucestershire and Cambridgeshire. Disease incidence and yield of the susceptible cultivars Igri and Maris Otter following a three year break were not significantly different from those of control plots that had grown continuous susceptible barley. The effects of cropping sequence treatment on soil populations of the fungus vector, Polymyxa graminis, were assessed by estimating most probable numbers of propagules following bioassays. Variability was large and neither total numbers of propagules, nor those carrying virus, was significantly affected by the cropping treatments.     

小麦几丁质酶基因Wch2的克隆与表达分析

利用小麦几丁质酶基因PCR特异片段为探针,分离克隆了一个小麦Chidl几丁质酶基因Wch2。该基因编码311个氨基酸,不含内含子,具有一个信号肽、一个富含半胱氨酸的几丁质结合区域、两个变异区、两个酶活性区域。Southern分析表明,在小麦基因组中Wch2有多个拷贝。秆锈菌接种诱导Wch2在一对小麦近等基因系中差异表达;在抗病系中国春Srll中,接种3d后Wch2开始表达,6d后表达量更高;而在感病等基因系中国春srll中,在所有取样分析的时间内均未检测到Wch2表达。将Wch2克隆到细菌表达载体pET22b,在细菌中表达的重组Wch2具有几丁质酶活性。这些结果说明,分离的Wch2基因在小麦秆锈菌诱导的抗性反应中具有重要作用。     

小麦3个被白粉菌诱导基因表达的分析

含有抗白粉病基因Pm2 1的小麦 簇毛麦 6VS/6AL易位系在接种白粉菌后 ,叶片无任何病症。应用mRNA差异显示技术从小麦 簇毛麦 6VS/ 6AL易位系分离到 3个叶绿体蛋白基因片段 ,它们是TaD5、TaD2 3和TaD33,3个基因片段分别与小麦叶绿体基因rbcL ,拟斯卑尔脱山羊草叶绿体RNA聚合酶α亚基基因rpoA和大麦 1,5 二磷酸核酮糖羧化酶活化酶基因(Rubiscoactivase ,RcaA2 )同源性达 97%、98%和 88%。据此推测TaD5、TaD2 3和TaD33分别是 6VS/ 6AL易位系中的rbcL、rpoA和 1,5 二磷酸核酮糖羧化酶活化酶基因的片断。Northern分析表明这 3个叶绿体基因的表达在白粉菌诱导下得到增强。叶绿体基因组含有胸腺嘧啶重复区是在mRNA差异显示中克隆到叶绿体基因组基因的原因     

Studies on transmission of Indian peanut clump virus disease by Polymyxa graminis*

The plasmodiophoromycete fungus, Polymyxa graminis was observed in the roots of Sorghum bicolor, S. sudanense, Pennisetum glaucum, Triticum aestivum, Cyperus rotundus, Eleucine coracana, Zea mays, Tridax procumbens and Arachis hypogaea collected from Indian peanut clump virus (IPCV)-infested fields. Examination of roots of IPCV-infected S. bicolor, S. sudanense, P. glaucum and T. aestivum grown in previously air dried field soil also showed the presence of cystosori of P. graminis. IPCV-infested soil stored at room temperature for 3 years transmitted the virus to A. hypogaea, T. aestivum and S. bicolor. Roots extracted from IPCV-infected P. glaucum and S. bicolor containing cystosori, and dried root fragments incorporated into sterile soil, transmitted the virus to A. hypogaea and T. aestivum. The root extracts contained primary zoospores of the fungus, presumably arising from cystosori. Utilising root fragments of S. sudanense containing cystosori as inoculum P. graminis was shown to infect both monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants. Profuse cystosorus production in rootlets only occurred in monocotyledonous plants. In dicotyledonous plants, in general, only few rootlets showed cystosori. Indian isolates of P. graminis appear to differ from isolates from temperate soils in that they can infect dicotyledonous plants and have a much wider host range.     

Rapid species identification within two groups of closely related lactobacilli using PCR primers that target the 16S/23S rRNA spacer region

A rapid and reliable PCR-based method for distinguishing closely related species within two groups of lactobacilli is described. Primers complementary to species-specific sequences in the 16S/23S rDNA spacer regions were designed after sequencing and sequence comparison of the spacer regions of 32 strains. The strains belong to two groups of closely related Lactobacillus species; one composed of Lactobacillus curvatus, Lactobacillus graminis and Lactobacillus sake, the other of Lactobacillus paraplantarum, Lactobacillus pentosus and Lactobacillus plantarum. PCR assays with the designed primers and subsequent agarose gel analysis of the amplified fragments allowed the same species identification as the DNA/DNA hybridization procedure.