A Genetic transformation system for investigation of plant-pathogen interactions in Wheat

Wheat is one of the main cereal crops, along with maize (Zea mays) and rice (Oryza sativa), which account for approximately 20% of the world`s calorific value and 25% of daily protein intake. The susceptibility to diseases such as stripe rust and powdery mildew, caused by the fungi Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) and Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt) severely limit wheat production. Due to crop variety domestication, breeding practices, and the rapid evolution of plant pathogens, modern varieties have reduced genetic diversity relative to their wild ancestors. Therefore, developing elite cultivars with host disease resistance genes (R genes) derived from wheat wild relatives is an economically and environmentally sound approach to disease control. Thus, we have searched, identified, and cloned several novel genes for disease resistance to yellow rust and powdery mildew derived from wild wheat species and developed a genetic transformation and regeneration system for wheat to study plant immunity mechanisms and dissect the molecular plant-pathogen interactions. We are now testing several transformation systems for diploid, tetraploid, and hexaploid wheat, which will enable us to study Triticeae biology, genomics, and proteomics. The transgenic lines with the wheat stripe rust resistance gene (Yr15) and powdery mildew resistance gene Pm69 will contribute to the investigation of the molecular mechanisms involved in wheat immunity processes regulated by these resistance genes.

Keywords: Disease resistance, Genetic transformation, Plant immunity, and molecular plant-pathogen interactions