Ruobing Li, Yaqi Tang, Qiao Wang, Bingjie Zhao, Wenwen Su, Baotong Wang*, Qiang Li*.  Nactivation of a Wheat Ribosomal Silencing Factor Gene TaRsfS  Confers Resistance to Both Powdery Mildew and Stripe Rust. Plant, Cell & Environment. 2024. 

ABSTRACT

Powdery mildew and stripe rust are major diseases on wheat worldwide that cause significant reductions in wheat production. The ribosomal silencing factor (RsfS) has been proven to regulate protein biosynthesis by inhibiting the translation process in bacterial response to stress. However, the role of RsfS in plant resistance to biotic stresses remains unclear. In this study, the RsfS homolog,  TaRsfS  was isolated from wheat. Overexpression of  TaRsfS  ( TaRsfS -OE) reduces wheat resistance to powdery mildew and stripe rust and  TaRsfS  knockout ( TaRsfS -KO) increases wheat resistance to both diseases without affecting key agronomic traits. The interaction protein of TaRsfS, 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid reductase 1 (TaOPR1), a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of jasmonic acid (JA), was screened and identified. Knocking-down and overexpression of  TaOPR1  indicated that  TaOPR1  positively regulates wheat resistance to powdery mildew and stripe rust. TaRsfS may regulate TaOPR1 at upstream, bind to the enzyme activity pocket of TaOPR1 and affect TaOPR1 enzyme activity, resulting in a reduced JA biosynthesis and wheat susceptible to powdery mildew and stripe rust. Collectively, TaRsfS is a susceptibility gene and negatively regulates wheat resistance to powdery mildew and stripe rust, and it has good potential for improving wheat resistance by genetic modifications.

https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.15172