Relationship Between Resistance Gene Analogue and Blast Resistance in Rice

DNA fragments of 43 rice varieties were amplified with 11 pairs of primers designed based on resistance gene analogue （RGA） of plants, and the blast resistance of the varieties was identified by inoculation with 33 isolates of Magnaporthe grisea collected from Yunnan Province, China. Clustering results revealed a significant correlation between the blast resistance and DNA bands with a correlation coefficient of 0.6117 （α=0.01）, indicating that the resistance analysis based on RGA-PCR clustering analysis coincided with that based on inoculation. The correlation coefficients, ranging from 0.1701 to 0.535, however, depended on the primers. Five pairs of primers, S1/AS3, S1 INV/S2 INV, XLRR For/XLRR Rev, Pto-Kinl IN/Pto-Kin2 IN, and NLRR For/NLRR Rev might be applied for blast resistance identification in consideration of their band numbers and polymorphisms, and their correlation coefficients with blast resistance were 0.5305, 0.4898, 0.4059, 0.3719 and 0.3524, respectively. Besides, indica and japonica rice except two highly susceptible varieties, CO39 and Lijiangxintuanheigu could be well classified by the 11 pairs of primers.

Relationship Between Blast Resistance Phenotypes and Resistance Gene Analogue Profiles in Rice

A total of 21 rice varieties were assayed based on RGA-PCR using six pairs of RGA primers and evaluated for leaf blast resistance in the nursery as well. Cluster analysis showed that the varieties could be classified into five groups either at the similarity threshold of 0.72 for RGA profiles or at 0.80 for leaf blast severities. Although there did not exist a complete parallel relationship between RGA-based groups and blast resistance-based groups, five out of six varieties with broad spectrum or durable resistance repeatedly fell into same group. This result suggested that application of three primer pairs, viz. RGA1 and RGA2 （both designed from the LRR region of rice Xa21 gene） and RGA3 （designed from the LRR region of tobacco N gene） contributed to better evaluation of the germplasms for their resistance responses to rice blast.

Cloning and Sequence Analysis of Disease Resistance Gene Analogues from Three Wild Rice Species in Yunnan

Two sets of degenerate oligonucleotide primers were designed according to amino acid conserved regions of reported plant disease resistance genes which encode proteins that contain nucleotide-binding site and leucine-rich repeats(NBS-LRR), and the plant disease resistance genes which encode serine/threonine protein kinase(STK). By polymerase chain reaction(PCR), disease resistance gene analogues have been amplified from three wild rice species in Yunnan Province, China. The DIN A fragments from amplification have been cloned into the pGEM-T vector respectively. Sequencing of the DNA fragments indicated that 7 classes, 2 classes and 6 classes NBS-LRR disease resistance gene analogues from Oryza rufipogon Griff. , Oryza officinalis Wall. , and Oryza meyeriana Baill. were obtained respectively. The two representative fragments of TO12 from Oryza officinalis Wall, and TR19 from Oryza rufipogon Griff, belong to the same class and homology of their sequences are 100%. The result shows that the sequences of the same class disease resistance gene analogues have no difference among different species of wild rice. 5 classes STK disease resistance gene analogues were also obtained among which 4 classes from Oryza rufipogon Griff. , 1 class from Oryza officinalis Wall. By comparison analysis of amino acid sequences. we found that the obtained disease resistance gene analogues have very low identity(low to 25%) with the reported disease resistance gene L6, N, Bs2, Prf, Pto, Lr10 and Xa21 etc. The finding suggests that the obtained disease resistance gene analogues are analogues of putative disease resistance genes that have not been isolated so far.

Analysis of the Resistance Gene Analogue for Rice Cultivars in Yunnan Province

Genetic diversity of commercial and local rice cultivars in Yunnan Province was studied using the resistance gene analogue (RGA) based on resistance gene conserved sequences. The RGA analysis of 137 cultivars was conducted by PCR amplification using three primers, i.e. S1/AS3, XLRR for/XLRR rev, and Pto-kinl/Pto-kin2, respectively. The results showed that both Indica and Japonica cultivars were genetically highly diverse. All cultivars were divided into 3 lineages according to the DNA band data at 96% dissimilarity, and into 20 lineages at 60% dissimilarity. The lineages were related to their genetic background and blast disease resistance with only a few exceptions. The RGA data can be useful in rice production by mixed-planting of different cultivars in the field and breeding of resistance cultivars by selecting different parental cultivars with great genetic diversity.

The OsBSK1-2-MAPK module regulates blast resistance in rice

Receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase OsBSK1-2 was reported to play an important role in regulation of response to rice blast,but the signaling pathway remained unknown.In this study,we identified OsMAPKKK18 and previously uncharacterized MAPKKKs OsMAPKKK16 and OsMAPKKK19 that interact with OsBSK1-2.Expression of all three MAPKKKs was induced by Magnaporthe oryzae infection,and all three induced cell death when transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves.Knockout of OsMAPKKK16 and OsMAPKKK18 compromised blast resistance and overexpression of OsMAPKKK19 increased blast resistance,indicating that all three MAPKKKs are involved in regulation of rice blast response.Furthermore,both OsMAPKKK16 and OsMAPKKK19 interacted with and phosphorylated OsMKK4 and OsMKK5,and chitin-induced MAPK activation was suppressed in osmapkkk16 and osbsk1-2 mutants.OsMAPKKK18 was earlier reported to interact with and phosphorylate OsMKK4 and affect chitin-induced MAPK activation,suggesting that OsBSK1-2 is involved in regulation of immunity through multiple MAPK signaling pathways.Unlike BSK1 in Arabidopsis,OsBSK1-2 was not involved in response to avirulent M.oryzae strains.Taken together,our results revealed important roles of OsMAPKKK16/18/19 and a OsBSK1-2-OsMAPKKK16/18/19-OsMKK4/5 module in regulating response to rice blast.

Marker-Assisted Pyramiding of Genes Conferring ResistanceAgainst Bacterial Blight and Blast Diseases into Indian RiceVariety MTU1010

Two major bacterial blight （BB） resistance genes （Xa21 and xa13） and a major gene for blastresistance （Pi54） were introgressed into an Indian rice variety MTU1010 through marker-assistedbackcross breeding. Improved Samba Mahsuri （possessing Xa21 and xa13） and NLR145 （possessingPi54） were used as donor parents. Marker-assisted backcrossing was continued till BC2 generationwherein PCR based functional markers specific for the resistance genes were used for foregroundselection and a set of parental polymorphic microsatellite markers were used for background selectionat each stage of backcrossing. Selected BC2F1 plants from both crosses, having the highest recoveriesof MTU1010 genome （90% and 92%, respectively）, were intercrossed to obtain intercross F1 （ICF1） plants,which were then selfed to generate 880 ICF2 plants possessing different combinations of the BB andblast resistance genes. Among the ICF2 plants, seven triple homozygous plants （xa13xa13Xa21Xa21Pi54Pi54）with recurrent parent genome recovery ranging from 82% to 92% were identified. All the seven ICF2plants showed high resistance against the bacterial blight disease with a lesion lengths of only 0.53–2.28 cm, 1%–5% disease leaf areas and disease scoring values of ‘1’ or ‘3’. The seven ICF2 plants wereselfed to generate ICF3, which were then screened for blast resistance, and all were observed to behighly resistant to the diseases. Several ICF3 lines possessing high level of resistance against BB andblast, coupled with yield, grain quality and plant type on par with MTU1010 were identified and advanced forfurther selection and evaluation.

Transferring Translucent Endosperm Mutant Gene Wx-mq and Rice Stripe Disease Resistance Gene Stv-bi by Marker-Assisted Selection in Rice (Oryza sativa)

A high-yielding japonica rice variety, Wuyunjing 7, bred in Jiangsu Province, China as a female parent was crossed with a Japanese rice variety Kantou 194, which carries a rice stripe disease resistance gene Stv-b＇ and a translucent endosperm mutant gene Wx-mq. From F2 generations, a sequence characterized amplified region （SCAR） marker tightly linked with Stv-b＇ and a cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence （CAPS） marker for Wx-mq were used for marker-assisted selection. Finally, a new japonica rice line, Ning 9108, with excellent agronomic traits was obtained by multi-generational selection on stripe disease resistance and endosperm appearance. The utilization of the markers from genes related to rice quality and disease resistance was helpful not only for establishing a marker-assisted selection system of high-quality and disease resistance for rice but also for providing important intermediate materials and rapid selection method for good quality, disease resistance and high yield in rice breeding.

Molecular Detection of Rice Blast Resistance Genes in Major Varieties of Rice in Jilin Province

[ Objective] This study aimed to detect flee blast resistance genes in major varieties of rice in Jilin Province. [ Method ] Ten molecular markers closely linked with rice blast resistance genes were used for molecular identification of resistance genes in 24 rice varieties from Jilin Province. [ Result] The 24 major vari- eties of rice widely lacked in rice blast resistance genes Pib, Pil, Pikh and Pia; Pi9 gene was absent in 17 of the 24 major varieties, especially in Jijing 88 and Changbai 9 which occupied the largest cultivation area in Jilin Province ; in addition, Jijing 88 harbored five rice blast resistance genes, including Pita, Pikm, Pt2, P/-d2 and P/z. [ Conclusion] Pib, Pil, Pikh, Pia and Pi9 are the major resistance genes for improving flee blast resistance of major varieties of rice in Jilin Prov- ince.

Identification and fine mapping of two blast resistance genes in rice cultivar 93-11

Rice blast, caused by Magnaporthe oryzae, is a major disease of rice almost worldwide. The Chinese indica cultivar 93-11 is resistant to numerous isolates of the blast fungus in China, and can be used as broad-spectrum resistance resource, particularly in japonica rice breeding programs. In this study, we identified and mapped two blast resistance genes, Pi60(t) and Pi61(t), in cv. 93-11 using F2 and F3 populations derived from a cross between the susceptible cv. Lijiangxintuanheigu(LTH) and resistant cv. 93-11 and inoculated with M. oryzae isolates from different geographic origins. Pi60(t) was delimited to a 274 kb region on the short arm of chromosome 11, flanked by InDel markers K1-4 and E12 and cosegregated with InDel markers B1 and Y10. Pi61(t) was mapped to a 200 kb region on the short arm(near the centromere) of chromosome 12, flanked by InDel markers M2 and S29 and cosegregating with InDel marker M9. In the 274 kb region of Pi60(t), 93-11 contains six NBS-LRR genes including the two Pia/ PiCO39 alleles(BGIOSGA034263 and BGIOSGA035032) which are quite close to the two Pia/ PiCO39 alleles(SasRGA4 and SasRGA5) in Sasanishiki and CO39, with only nine amino acids differing in the protein sequences of BGIOSGA035032 and SasRGA5. In the 200 kb region of Pi61(t), 93-11 contains four NBS-LRR genes, all of which show high identities in protein sequence with their corresponding NBS-LRR alleles in susceptible cv. Nipponbare. Comparison of the response spectra and physical positions between the target genes and other R genes in the same chromosome regions indicated that Pi60(t) could be Pia/PiCO39 or its allele, whereas Pi61(t) appears to be different from Pita, Pita-2, Pi19(t), Pi39(t) and Pi42(t) in the same R gene cluster. DNA markers tightly linked to Pi60(t) and Pi61(t) will enable marker-assisted breeding and map-based cloning.

Strategy for Use of Rice Blast Resistance Genes in Rice Molecular Breeding

Rice blast is one of the most destructive diseases affecting rice production worldwide.The development and rational use of resistant varieties has been the most effective and economical measure to control blast.In this review,we summarized the cloning and utilization of rice blast resistance genes,such as Pi1,Pi2,Pi9,Pi54,Pigm and Piz-t.We concluded that three main problems in the current breeding of rice blast resistance are:availability of few R(resistance)genes that confer resistance to both seedling and panicle blast,the resistance effect of pyramided lines is not the result of a simple accumulation of resistance spectrum,and only a few R genes have been successfully used for molecular breeding.Therefore,novel utilization strategies for rice blast R genes in molecular breeding were proposed,such as accurately understanding the utilization of R genes in main modern rice varieties,creating a core resistant germplasm with excellent comprehensive traits,screening and utilizing broadspectrum and durable resistance gene combinations.Lastly,the trends and possible development direction of blast resistance improvement were also discussed,including new genes regulating resistance identified via GWAS(genome-wide association study)and improving rice blast resistance using genetic editing.

Clustering of Major Genes Conferring Blast Resistance in a Durable Resistance Rice Cultivar Gumei 2

By using 304 recombinant inbred lines derived from indica rice cross Zhong 156/Gumei 2, a linkage map consisting of 177 marker loci and covering 12 rice chromosomes was constructed and employed for mapping genes conferring blast resistance in rice. Genomic location of gene Pi25(t) conferring neck blast resistance to the Chinese isolate 92-183 (race ZC15) was verified to be located between markers A7 and RG456 on chromosome 6, with genetic distances of 1.7 cM and 1.5 cM to A7 and RG456, respectively. Leaf blast resistance of Gumei 2 to the Philippine isolate Ca89 (lineage 4) was found to be controlled by a single gene. The gene tentatively designated as Pi26(\) was located between makers B10 and R674 on chromosome 6, with genetic distances of 5.7 cM and 25.8 cM to B10 and R674 respectively. Resistant alleles at both gene loci were derived from Gumei 2, indicating an existence of resistance gene cluster in Gumei 2.

Breeding of Selectable Marker-Free Transgenic Rice Lines Containing AP1 Gene with Enhanced Disease Resistance

In order to obtain marker-free transgenic rice with improved disease resistance, the AP1 gene of Capsicum annuum and hygromycin-resistance gene （HPT） were cloned into the two separate T-DNA regions of the binary vector pSB130, respectively, and introduced into the calli derived from the immature seeds of two elite japonica rice varieties, Guangling Xiangjing and Wuxiangjing 9, mediated by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Many cotransgenic rice lines containing both the AP1 gene and the marker gene were regenerated and the integration of both transgenes in the transgenic rice plants was confirmed by either PCR or Southern blotting technique. Several selectable marker-free transgenic rice plants were subsequently obtained from the progeny of the cotransformants, and confirmed by both PCR and Southern blotting analysis. These transgenic rice lines were tested in the field and their resistance to disease was carefully investigated, the results showed that after inoculation the resistance to either bacterial blight or sheath blight of the selected transgenic lines was improved when compared with those of wild type.

Genetic Transformation of Rice with Pi-d2 Gene Enhances Resistance to Rice Blast Fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

The gene Pi-d2, conferring gene-for-gene resistance to the Chinese blast strain ZB15, was isolated from a rice variety （Digu） by the map-based cloning strategy. Here, we constructed a control plasmid pZH01-pi-d2tp309 （pZH01-tp309） and three different expression constructs, pCB-Pi-d25.3kb （pCB5.3kb）, pCB-Pi-d26.3kb （pCB6.3kb） and pZH01-Pi-d22.72kb （pZH01-2.72kb） of Pi-d2, driven by Pi-d2 gene’s own promoter or CaMV35S promoter. These constructs were separately introduced into japonica rice varieties Lijiangxintuanhegu, Taipei 309, Nipponbare and Zhonghua 9 through Agrobacterium- mediated transformation. A total of 150 transgenic rice plants were obtained from the regenerated calli selected on hygromycin. PCR, RT-PCR and Southern-blotting assay showed that the gene of interest had been integrated into rice genome and stably inherited. Thirty-five transgenic lines independently derived from T1 progeny were inoculated with the rice blast strain ZB15. Transformants exhibited resistance to rice blast at various levels. The lesions on the transgenic plant leaves were less severe than those on the controls and the resistance level of transgenic plants harboring the gene of interest from three vectors had no difference. The own promoter of Pi-d2, about 2.2 kb or 3.2 kb, had the similar promoter function as CaMV35S. Field evaluation for three successive years supported the results of artificial trial, and some lines with high resistance to rice leaf blast and neck blast were obtained.

Marker-Assisted Introgression of Quantitative Resistance Gene pi21 Confers Broad Spectrum Resistance to Rice Blast

The quantitative resistance gene pi21 from Sensho was introgressed to an indica breeding line IR63307-4B-13-2,a pyramiding line IRBB4/5/13/21,and a tropical japonica line Kinandang Patong by marker-assisted backcrossing.A total of 192 improved lines at the BC4F3 and BC4F4 generations were developed and confirmed to have the gene introgression via genotyping using a pi21-specific InDel marker.Thirteen randomly selected improved lines,representing all the three genetic backgrounds,demonstrated resistance against leaf blast composites in the field and a broader spectrum resistance against individual isolates compared to the recurrent parents in the glasshouse.Specifically,the tested lines exhibited pi21-acquired resistance against 11 leaf blast isolates that elicited susceptible reactions from the recurrent parents.All the tested lines maintained a comparative heading date,and similar or improved panicle length,number of primary branches per panicle and number of total grains per panicle relative to the recurrent parents.The physical grain characteristics of the recurrent parents were also maintained in the 13 lines tested,although variability in the amylose content and chalkiness degree was observed.The successful marker-assisted introgression of pi21 in diverse genetic backgrounds and the resulting broader spectrum resistance of improved lines against leaf blast indicate the potential of pi21 for deployment in cultivars grown across other rice growing regions in Asia.

Improving Rice Blast Resistance by Mining Broad-Spectrum Resistance Genes at Pik Locus

Magnaporthe oryzae is known for its genetic diversity and pathogenic variability,leading to rapid breakdown of resistance in rice.Incorporating multiple broad-spectrum blast resistance genes into rice cultivars would extend disease resistance longevity.Effective resistance breeding in rice therefore requires continual enrichment of the reservoir of resistance genes and alleles.We conducted a large-scale screen of rice blast resistance in about 2000 rice accessions.Among them,247 accessions showed at least medium resistance to the natural infection of rice blast and 7 novel Pik alleles were identified from them.Variations in gene sequences were then correlated with the phenotypic trait to enable the identification of favorable alleles.Among the seven novel Pik alleles,the resistant rate of Pik-R0/ME/7017 donors was greater than 80%,and the disease score was less than 3.Through molecular marker-assisted backcross breeding,we successfully transferred the three Pik alleles,Pik-R0/ME/7017,into an elite cultivated line Kongyu 131 to obtain BC_(3)F_(2)lines,which showed enhanced resistance to rice blast compared with the recurrent parent.Assessment of these near-isogenic lines in the greenhouse using 31 isolates of M.oryzae from Heilongjiang Province of China revealed that the resistant levels of the BC_(3)F_(2)lines with Pik-R0/ME/7017 were significantly higher than those of the established cloned resistance genes Pik-m and Pi1.Exploring such alleles will enrich our gene library for resistance to rice blast.

Evaluation of Inherited Resistance Genes of Bacterial Leaf Blight, Blast and Drought Tolerance in Improved Rice Lines

Improved rice lines were developed frome three parents with the resistance or tolerance to bacterial leaf blight,blast and drought stress,respectively,using single-,double-and three-way crosses.The improved lines were assessed for agro-morphological and yield traits under non-drought stress(NS)and reproductive-stage drought stress(RS)treatments.The mean comparison of traits measured between parent plants and progenies(improved lines)were similar,and there were significant and non-significant differences among the parents and improved lines(genotypes)under NS and RS.Smilarly,there was significant and non-significant differences in the interaction among both parent varieties and improved lines for NS and RS.Cluster and 3D-model of principal component analysis did not generate categorical clusters according to crossing methods,and there were no exclusive crossing method inclined variations under the treatments.The improved lines were high-yielding,disease resistant,and drought-tolerant compared with their parents.All the crossing methods were good for this crop improvement program without preference to any,despite the number of genes introgressed.

Improvement of Upland Rice Variety by Pyramiding Drought Tolerance QTL with Two Major Blast Resistance Genes for Sustainable Rice Production

Varalu is an early maturing rice variety widely grown in the rainfed ecosystem preferred for its grain type and cooking quality.However,the yield of Varalu is substantially low since it is being affected by reproductive drought stress along with the blast disease.The genetic improvement of Varalu was done by introgressing a major yield QTL,qDTY_(12.1),along with two major blast resistance genes i.e.Pi54 and Pi1 through marker-assisted backcross breeding.Both traits were transferred till BC_(2) generation and intercrossing was followed to pyramid the two traits.Stringent foreground selection was carried out using linked markers as well as peak markers(RM28099,RM28130,RM511 and RM28163)for the targeted QTL(qDTY_(12.1)),RM206 for Pi54 and RM224 for Pi1.Extensive background selection was done using genome-wide SSR markers.Six best lines(MSM-36,MSM-49,MSM-53,MSM-57,MSM-60 and MSM-63)having qDTY_(12.1) and two blast resistance genes in homozygous condition with recurrent parent genome of 95.0%-96.5% having minimal linkage drag of about 0.1 to 0.7 Mb were identified.These lines showed yield advantage under drought stress as well as irrigated conditions.MSM-36 showed better performance in the national coordinated trials conducted across India,which indicated that improved lines of Varalu expected to replace Varalu and may have an important role in sustaining rice production.The present study demonstrated the successful marker-assisted pyramiding strategy for introgression of genes/QTLs conferring biotic stress resistance and yield under abiotic stress in rice.

Development of Hybrid Rice Variety FY7206 with Blast Resistance Gene Pid3 and Cold Tolerance Gene Ctb1

Hybrid rice Fanyou 7206（FY7206）, derived from the cross between a sterile line Fanyuan A and a restorer line Fuhui 7206, was bred by the Rice Research Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China. FY7206 was characterized by moderate blast resistance, cold tolerance, as well as wide adaptability, and high yields. The blast resistance results indicated that the frequencies of blast races in race B, race C and the total resistance frequency for FY7206 were 95.5%, 100.0% and 97.2%, respectively. The disease resistance results showed that the leaf blast grade for FY7206 was level 1 and panicle blast was level 5. The indoor spray results indicated that FY7206 was resistant to 11 isolates of Magnorpathe oryzae. The blast resistance of FY7206 might be derived from the high expression of blast resistance gene Pid3. The results for simulated cold resistance in an artificial climate chamber indicated that the cold tolerance for FY7206 was moderate at the booting and flowering stages. The cold tolerance results also indicated that FY7206 could be tolerant to temperatures as low as 10 °C at the seedling stage. The q RT-PCR results showed that the expression of cold tolerance gene Ctb1 in FY7206 was relatively high. These results suggested that FY7206 is a hybrid indica rice variety with good comprehensive characteristics, including blast resistance and cold tolerance.