Loss of function of a proline-containing protein confers durable disease resistance in rice.
Blast disease is a devastating fungal disease of rice, one of the world's staple foods. Race-specific resistance to blast disease has usually not been durable. Here, we report the cloning of a previously unknown type of gene that confers non-race-specific resistance and its successful use in breeding. Pi21 encodes a proline-rich protein that includes a putative heavy metal-binding domain and putative protein-protein interaction motifs. Wild-type Pi21 appears to slow the plant's defense responses, which may support optimization of defense mechanisms. Deletions in its proline-rich motif inhibit this slowing. Pi21 is separable from a closely linked gene conferring poor flavor. The resistant pi21 allele, which is found in some strains of japonica rice, could improve blast resistance of rice worldwide.
Fukuoka
Shuichi
S
QTL Genomics Research Center, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Kannondai 2-1-2, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8602, Japan. fukusan@affrc.go.jp
Saka
Norikuni
N
Koga
Hironori
H
Ono
Kazuko
K
Shimizu
Takehiko
T
Ebana
Kaworu
K
Hayashi
Nagao
N
Takahashi
Akira
A
Hirochika
Hirohiko
H
Okuno
Kazutoshi
K
Yano
Masahiro
M
D000483:Alleles; D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017343:Genes, Plant; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006239:Haplotypes; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics*; D020082:Magnaporthe / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D011392:Proline / Q000032:analysis; D054730:Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
D010940:Plant Proteins; D011392:Proline