title: Down-regulation of the glucan synthase-like 6 gene (HvGsl6) in barley leads to decreased callose accumulation and increased cell wall penetration by Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei.
abstract: The recent characterization of the polysaccharide composition of papillae deposited at the barley cell wall during infection by the powdery mildew pathogen, Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei (Bgh), has provided new targets for the generation of enhanced disease resistance. The role of callose in papilla-based penetration resistance of crop species is largely unknown because the genes involved in the observed callose accumulation have not been identified unequivocally. We have employed both comparative and functional genomics approaches to identify the functional orthologue of AtGsl5 in the barley genome. HvGsl6 (the barley glucan synthase-like 6 gene), which has the highest sequence identity to AtGsl5, is the only Bgh-induced gene among the HvGsls examined in this study. Through double-stranded RNA interference (dsRNAi)-mediated silencing of HvGsl6, we have shown that the down-regulation of HvGsl6 is associated with a lower accumulation of papillary and wound callose and a higher susceptibility to penetration of the papillae by Bgh, compared with control lines. The results indicate that the HvGsl6 gene is a functional orthologue of AtGsl5 and is involved in papillary callose accumulation in barley. The increased susceptibility of HvGsl6 dsRNAi transgenic lines to infection indicates that callose positively contributes to the barley fungal penetration resistance mechanism.
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia.
authors.forename: Jamil
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chowdhury
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Schober
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia.
authors.forename: Neil J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Shirley
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia.
authors.forename: Rohan R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrew K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Corrensstrasse 3, OT Gatersleben, Stadt Seeland, 06466, Germany.
authors.forename: Dimitar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Douchkov
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Corrensstrasse 3, OT Gatersleben, Stadt Seeland, 06466, Germany.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schweizer
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia.
authors.forename: Geoffrey B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Fincher
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia.
authors.forename: Rachel A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia. alan.little@adelaide.edu.au.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Little
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000502:physiology*; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000382:microbiology*; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant; D005964:Glucosyltransferases / Q000235:genetics*; D001467:Hordeum / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D019441:Plant Epidermis / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D034622:RNA Interference; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D005964:Glucosyltransferases; C040232:glucan synthase
keywords: Blumeria graminis; Gsl; callose; glucan synthase-like; papillae; penetration; powdery mildew