title: KP4 to controlUstilago triticiin wheat: Enhanced greenhouse resistance to loose smut and changes in transcript abundance of pathogen related genes in infected KP4 plants.
abstract: Ustilago triticicauses loose smut, which is a seed-borne fungal disease of wheat, and responsible for yield losses up to 40%. Loose smut is a threat to seed production in developing countries where small scale farmers use their own harvest as seed material. The killer protein 4 (KP4) is a virally encoded toxin fromUstilago maydisand inhibits growth of susceptible races of fungi from the Ustilaginales. Enhanced resistance in KP4 wheat to stinking smut, which is caused byTilletia caries,had been reported earlier. We show that KP4 in genetically engineered wheat increased resistance to loose smut up to 60% compared to the non-KP4 control under greenhouse conditions. This enhanced resistance is dose and race dependent. The overexpression of the transgenekp4and its effect on fungal growth have indirect effects on the expression of endogenous pathogen defense genes.
authors.affiliation: Plant Biotechnology, Department of Biology, ETH Zurich, Universitätsstrasse 2, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Carolina Diaz
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Quijano
authors.affiliation: Plant Biotechnology, Department of Biology, ETH Zurich, Universitätsstrasse 2, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Fabienne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wichmann
authors.affiliation: Plant Biotechnology, Department of Biology, ETH Zurich, Universitätsstrasse 2, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schlaich
authors.affiliation: Plant Biotechnology, Department of Biology, ETH Zurich, Universitätsstrasse 2, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fammartino
authors.affiliation: Agrobiotechnology, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 8, D-18059 Rostock, Germany.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huckauf
authors.affiliation: biovativ GmbH, Thuneneplatz 1, D-18190, Gross Lusewitz, Germany.
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Agrobiotechnology, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 8, D-18059 Rostock, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Unger
authors.affiliation: Agrobiotechnology, University of Rostock, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 8, D-18059 Rostock, Germany.
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Broer
authors.affiliation: Plant Biotechnology, Department of Biology, ETH Zurich, Universitätsstrasse 2, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christof
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sautter
keywords: KP4; Pleiotropic effects; Quantitative resistance; Triticum aestivum; Ustilago tritici