Phosphorylation of KAT-2B by WKS1/Yr36 redirects the lipid flux to jasmonates to enhance resistance against wheat stripe rust

Wheat(Triticum aestivum)is one of the most essential human energy and protein sources.However,wheat production is threatened by devastating fungal diseases such as stripe rust,caused by Puccinia striiformis Westend.f.sp.tritici(Pst).Here,we reveal that the alternations in chloroplast lipid profiles and the accumulation of jasmonate(JA)in the necrosis region activate JA signaling and trigger the host defense.The collapse of chloroplasts in the necrosis region results in accumulations of polyunsaturated membrane lipids and the lipid-derived phytohormone JA in transgenic lines of Yr36 that encodes Wheat Kinase START 1(WKS1),a high-temperature-dependent adult plant resistance protein.WKS1.1,a protein encoded by a full-length splicing variant of WKS1,phosphorylates and enhances the activity of keto-acyl thiolase(KAT-2B),a critical enzyme catalyzing theβ-oxidation reaction in JA biosynthesis.The premature stop mutant,kat-2b,accumulates less JA and shows defects in the host defense against Pst.Conversely,overexpression of KAT-2B results in a higher level of JA and limits the growth of Pst.Moreover,JA inhibits the growth and reduces pustule densities of Pst.This study illustrates the WKS1.1-KAT-2B-JA pathway for enhancing wheat defense against fungal pathogens to attenuate yield loss.

Suppression of ZEAXANTHIN EPOXIDASE 1 restricts stripe rust growth in wheat

Reducing losses caused by pathogens is an effective strategy for stabilizing crop yields.Daunting challenges remain in cloning and characterizing genes that inhibit stripe rust,a devastating disease of wheat(Triticum aestivum)caused by Puccinia striiformis f.sp.tritici(Pst).We found that suppression of wheat zeaxanthin epoxidase 1(ZEP1)increased wheat defense against Pst.We isolated the yellow rust slower 1(yrs1)mutant of tetraploid wheat in which a premature stop mutation in ZEP1-B underpins the phenotype.Genetic analyses revealed increased H_(2)O_(2) accumulation in zep1 mutants and demonstrated a correlation between ZEP1 dysfunction and slower Pst growth in wheat.Moreover,wheat kinase START 1.1(WKS1.1,Yr36)bound,phosphorylated,and suppressed the biochemical activity of ZEP1.A rare natural allele in the hexaploid wheat ZEP1-B promoter reduced its transcription and Pst growth.Our study thus identified a novel suppressor of Pst,characterized its mechanism of action,and revealed beneficial variants for wheat disease control.This work opens the door to stacking wheat ZEP1 variants with other known Pst resistance genes in future breeding programs to enhance wheat tolerance to pathogens.