Protecting crops from diseases is vital for the sustainable agricultural systems that are needed for food security. Introducing functional resistance genes to enhance the plant immune system is highly effective for disease resistance, but identifying new immune receptors is resource intensive. We observed that functional immune receptors of the nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat (NLR) class show a signature of high expression in uninfected plants across both monocot and dicot species. Here, by exploiting this signature combined with high-throughput transformation, we generated a wheat transgenic array of 995 NLRs from diverse grass species to identify new resistance genes for wheat. Confirming this proof of concept, we identified new resistance genes against the stem rust pathogen Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici and the leaf rust pathogen Puccinia triticina, both major threats to wheat production. This pipeline facilitates the rapid identification of candidate NLRs and provides in planta gene validation of resistance. The accelerated discovery of new NLRs from a large gene pool of diverse and non-domesticated plant species will enhance the development of disease-resistant crops.

• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) disease resistance genes typically confer resistance against races of a single pathogen. Here, we report that Yr87/Lr85, an NLR gene from Aegilops sharonensis and Aegilops longissima, confers resistance against both P. striiformis tritici (Pst) and Puccinia triticina (Pt) that cause stripe and leaf rust, respectively. Yr87/Lr85 confers resistance against Pst and Pt in wheat introgression as well as transgenic lines. Comparative analysis of Yr87/Lr85 and the cloned Triticeae NLR disease resistance genes shows that Yr87/Lr85 contains two distinct LRR domains and that the gene is only found in Ae. sharonensis and Ae. longissima. Allele mining and phylogenetic analysis indicate multiple events of Yr87/Lr85 gene flow between the two species and presence/absence variation explaining the majority of resistance to wheat leaf rust in both species. The confinement of Yr87/Lr85 to Ae. sharonensis and Ae. longissima and the resistance in wheat against Pst and Pt highlight the potential of these species as valuable sources of disease resistance genes for wheat improvement.

• MeSH
• Aegilops genetics   microbiology   MeSH
• Alleles MeSH
• Basidiomycota * pathogenicity   physiology   MeSH
• Phylogeny * MeSH
• Plants, Genetically Modified genetics   MeSH
• Plant Leaves * microbiology   genetics   MeSH
• Plant Diseases * microbiology   genetics   immunology   MeSH
• NLR Proteins * genetics   MeSH
• Disease Resistance * genetics   MeSH
• Triticum * genetics   microbiology   immunology   MeSH
• Puccinia * pathogenicity   MeSH
• Genes, Plant MeSH
• Plant Proteins * genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• NLR Proteins * MeSH
• Plant Proteins * MeSH