An autoactive NB-LRR gene causes Rht13 dwarfism in wheat

Borrill, P. et al. (2022) An autoactive NB-LRR gene causes Rht13 dwarfism in wheat. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(48), e220987511. (doi: 10.1073/pnas.2209875119) (PMID:36417432)

Abstract

Semidwarfing genes have greatly increased wheat yields globally, yet the widely used gibberellin (GA)-insensitive genes Rht-B1b and Rht-D1b have disadvantages for seedling emergence. Use of the GA-sensitive semidwarfing gene Rht13 avoids this pleiotropic effect. Here, we show that Rht13 encodes a nucleotide-binding site/leucine-rich repeat (NB-LRR) gene. A point mutation in the semidwarf Rht-B13b allele autoactivates the NB-LRR gene and causes a height reduction comparable with Rht-B1b and Rht-D1b in diverse genetic backgrounds. The autoactive Rht-B13b allele leads to transcriptional up-regulation of pathogenesis-related genes including class III peroxidases associated with cell wall remodeling. Rht13 represents a new class of reduced height (Rht) gene, unlike other Rht genes, which encode components of the GA signaling or metabolic pathways. This discovery opens avenues to use autoactive NB-LRR genes as semidwarfing genes in a range of crop species, and to apply Rht13 in wheat breeding programs using a perfect genetic marker.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Xu, Mr Tianyuan
• Authors: Borrill, P., Mago, R., Xu, T., Ford, B., Williams, S. J., Derkx, A., Bovill, W. D., Hyles, J., Bhatt, D., Xia, X., MacMillan, C., White, R., Buss, W., Molnár, I., Walkowiak, S., Olsen, O.-A., Doležel, J., Pozniak, C. J., and Spielmeyer, W.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences
• Journal Name: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
• Publisher: National Academy of Sciences
• ISSN: 0027-8424
• ISSN (Online): 1091-6490
• Published Online: 23 November 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Author(s)
• First Published: First published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 119(48): e220987511
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License