Epigenetic regulation of gene expression improves Fusarium head blight resistance in durum wheat

Abstract Eight advanced durum-breeding lines were treated with 5-methyl-azacytidine to test the feasibility of generating sources of Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance. Of the 800 treated seeds, 415 germinated and were advanced up to four (M4) generations by selfing. Thirty-two of the resulting 415 M4 lines were selected following preliminary screening and were further tested for FHB resistance for three years at two field locations, and in the greenhouse. Five of the 32 M4 lines showed less than 30% disease severity, as compared to the parental lines and susceptible checks. Fusarium-damaged kernels and deoxynivalenol analyses supported the findings of the field and greenhouse disease assessments. Two of the most resistant M4 lines were crossed to a susceptible parent, advanced to third generation (BC1:F3) and were tested for stability and inheritance of the resistance. About, one third of the BC1:F3 lines showed FHB resistance similar to their M4 parents. The overall methylation levels (%) were compared using FASTmC method, which did not show a significant difference between M4 and parental lines. However, transcriptome analysis of one M4 line revealed significant number of differentially expressed genes related to biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, MAPK signaling, photosynthesis, starch and sucrose metabolism, plant hormone signal transduction and plant-pathogen interaction pathways, which may have helped in improved FHB resistance.

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Evaluation of Canadian barley breeding lines for Fusarium head blight resistance

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.4141/cjps-2015-062 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 95 (5) ◽

pp. 923-929 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Xinyao He ◽

Mohamed Osman ◽

James Helm ◽

Flavio Capettini ◽

Pawan K. Singh

Keyword(s):

Fusarium Head Blight ◽

Fusarium Head Blight Resistance ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Blight Resistance ◽

Head Blight ◽

Breeding Programs ◽

Breeding Lines ◽

Barley Breeding ◽

Days To Heading ◽

Fhb Resistance

He, X., Osman, M., Helm, J., Capettini, F. and Singh, P. K. 2015. Evaluation of Canadian barley breeding lines for Fusarium head blight resistance. Can. J. Plant Sci. 95: 923–929. Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a major challenge to the successful production of barley in Canada, as well as for end-users such as the malting and brewing industries. Due to the quantitative inheritance of FHB resistance, continuous effort is required to identify breeding lines with improved FHB resistance and incorporate them into crossing schemes to enhance FHB resistance. In the present study, 402 advanced breeding lines from Alberta, Canada, were evaluated in the FHB screening nursery at CIMMYT, Mexico. In 2011 and 2012, FHB incidence was measured on a scale of 1 to 4 to eliminate the most susceptible lines. In 2013 and 2014, 181 lines with the lowest disease scores in the previous 2 yr were tested in replicated experiments for field FHB index, Fusarium-damaged kernels, and deoxynivalenol content. Agronomic and morphological traits, specifically days to heading, plant height, and row and hull types were also evaluated in relations to FHB parameters. Correlation coefficients among the three FHB parameters in both 2013 and 2014 were all significant at P<0.0001, ranging from 0.36 to 0.63. Additional correlation analysis showed that late-maturing, tall, and two-row lines tended to have lower disease, whereas hull type did not show a significant correlation with FHB. Several lines with high and stable FHB resistance similar to that of the resistant checks were identified. These could be used in breeding programs as resistance sources or be registered as new cultivars if their overall attributes meet commercial standards.

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Alien chromatin but not Fhb7 confers Fusarium head blight resistance in wheat breeding

10.1101/2021.02.03.429547 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Xianrui Guo ◽

Qinghua Shi ◽

Jing Yuan ◽

Mian Wang ◽

Jing Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fusarium Head Blight ◽

Fusarium Head Blight Resistance ◽

Resistance Breeding ◽

Wheat Breeding ◽

Glutathione S Transferase ◽

Head Blight ◽

Fhb Resistance ◽

Translocation Lines ◽

High Level ◽

Thinopyrum Elongatum

AbstractFusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium species, seriously threaten global wheat production. Three wheat-Th.elongatum FHB resistant translocation lines have been developed and used for breeding. Transcriptomic analysis identified a derivative glutathione S-transferase transcript T26102, which was homologous to Fhb7 and induced dramatically by Fusarium graminearum. Homologs of Fhb7 were detected in several genera in Triticeae, including Thinopyrum, Elymus, Leymus, Pseudoroegeria and Roegeria. Several wheat-Thinopyrum translocation lines carrying Fhb7 remain susceptible to FHB, and transgenic plants overexpressing the T26102 on different backgrounds did not improve the FHB resistance. Taken as a whole, we show the application of the chromatin derived from diploid Thinopyrum elongatum successfully conferring wheat with high level FHB resistance independent of the Fhb7.One Sentence SummaryThinopyrum elongatum chromatin from 7EL was successfully applied to wheat FHB resistance breeding, but the resistant gene other than the reported Fhb7 remained unknown.

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A Quantitative Proteomics View on the Function of Qfhb1, a Major QTL for Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Wheat

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens7030058 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 58 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Moustafa Eldakak ◽

Aayudh Das ◽

Yongbin Zhuang ◽

Jai Rohila ◽

Karl Glover ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fusarium Head Blight ◽

Starch Synthesis ◽

Resistance Mechanism ◽

Fusarium Head Blight Resistance ◽

Defense Responses ◽

Wheat Breeding ◽

Host Cells ◽

Head Blight ◽

Fhb Resistance ◽

Trait Locus

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a highly detrimental disease of wheat. A quantitative trait locus for FHB resistance, Qfhb1, is the most utilized source of resistance in wheat-breeding programs, but very little is known about its resistance mechanism. In this study, we elucidated a prospective FHB resistance mechanism by investigating the proteomic signatures of Qfhb1 in a pair of contrasting wheat near-isogenic lines (NIL) after 24 h of inoculation of wheat florets by Fusarium graminearum. Statistical comparisons of the abundances of protein spots on the 2D-DIGE gels of contrasting NILs (fhb1+ NIL = Qfhb1 present; fhb1- NIL = Qfhb1 absent) enabled us to select 80 high-ranking differentially accumulated protein (DAP) spots. An additional evaluation confirmed that the DAP spots were specific to the spikelet from fhb1- NIL (50 spots), and fhb1+ NIL (seven spots). The proteomic data also suggest that the absence of Qfhb1 makes the fhb1- NIL vulnerable to Fusarium attack by constitutively impairing several mechanisms including sucrose homeostasis by enhancing starch synthesis from sucrose. In the absence of Qfhb1, Fusarium inoculations severely damaged photosynthetic machinery; altered the metabolism of carbohydrates, nitrogen and phenylpropanoids; disrupted the balance of proton gradients across relevant membranes; disturbed the homeostasis of many important signaling molecules induced the mobility of cellular repair; and reduced translational activities. These changes in the fhb1- NIL led to strong defense responses centered on the hypersensitive response (HSR), resulting in infected cells suicide and the consequent initiation of FHB development. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that Qfhb1 largely functions to either alleviate HSR or to manipulate the host cells to not respond to Fusarium infection.

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Proteomics Reveals the Changes that Contribute to Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Wheat

Phytopathology ◽

10.1094/phyto-05-20-0171-r ◽

2020 ◽

pp. PHYTO-05-20-017

Author(s):

Mingming Yang ◽

Xianguo Wang ◽

Jian Dong ◽

Wanchun Zhao ◽

Tariq Alam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fusarium Head Blight ◽

Metabolic Pathways ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Critical Role ◽

Functional Characterization ◽

Fusarium Head Blight Resistance ◽

Defense Responses ◽

Head Blight ◽

Resistance Response ◽

Fhb Resistance

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a devastating disease of wheat, causing yield losses and quality reduction as a result of mycotoxin production. In this study, iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification)- labeling-based mass spectrometry was employed to characterize the proteome in wheat cultivars Xinong 538 and Zhoumai 18 with contrasting levels of FHB resistance as a means to elucidate the molecular mechanisms contributing to FHB resistance. A total of 13,669 proteins were identified in the two cultivars 48 h after Fusarium graminearum inoculation. Among these, 2,505 unique proteins exclusively accumulated in Xinong 538 (resistant) and 887 proteins in Zhoumai 18 (susceptible). Gene Ontology enrichment analysis showed that most differentially accumulated proteins (DAPs) from both cultivars were assigned to the following categories: metabolic process, single-organism process, cellular process, and response to stimulus. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis showed that a greater number of proteins belonging to different metabolic pathways were identified in Xinong 538 compared with Zhoumai 18. Specifically, DAPs from the FHB-resistant cultivar Xinong 538 populated categories of metabolic pathways related to plant–pathogen interaction. These DAPs might play a critical role in defense responses exhibited by Xinong 538. DAPs from both genotypes were assigned to all wheat chromosomes except chromosome 6B, with approximately 30% mapping to wheat chromosomes 2B, 3B, 5B, and 5D. Twenty single nucleotide polymorphism markers, flanking DAPs on chromosomes 1B, 3B, 5B, and 6A, overlapped with the location of earlier mapped FHB-resistance quantitative trait loci. The data provide evidence for the involvement of several DAPs in the early stages of the FHB-resistance response in wheat; however, further functional characterization of candidate proteins is warranted.

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The Ability to Detoxify the Mycotoxin Deoxynivalenol Colocalizes With a Major Quantitative Trait Locus for Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Wheat

Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions ◽

10.1094/mpmi-18-1318 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 18 (12) ◽

pp. 1318-1324 ◽

Cited By ~ 263

Author(s):

Marc Lemmens ◽

Uwe Scholz ◽

Franz Berthiller ◽

Chiara Dall'Asta ◽

Andrea Koutnik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quantitative Trait Locus ◽

Fusarium Head Blight ◽

Quantitative Trait ◽

Fusarium Head Blight Resistance ◽

Close Relation ◽

Major Effect ◽

Head Blight ◽

Fhb Resistance ◽

Trait Locus ◽

Wheat Lines

We investigated the hypothesis that resistance to deoxynivalenol (DON) is a major resistance factor in the Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance complex of wheat. Ninety-six double haploid lines from a cross between ‘CM-82036’ and ‘Remus’ were examined. The lines were tested for DON resistance after application of the toxin in the ear, and for resistances to initial infection and spread of FHB after artificial inoculation with Fusarium spp. Toxin application to flowering ears induced typical FHB symptoms. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analyses detected one locus with a major effect on DON resistance (logarithm of odds = 53.1, R2 = 92.6). The DON resistance phenotype was closely associated with an important FHB resistance QTL, Qfhs.ndsu-3BS, which previously was identified as governing resistance to spread of symptoms in the ear. Resistance to the toxin was correlated with resistance to spread of FHB (r = 0.74, P < 0.001). In resistant wheat lines, the applied toxin was converted to DON-3-O-glucoside as the detoxification product. There was a close relation between the DON-3-glucoside/DON ratio and DON resistance in the toxintreated ears (R2 = 0.84). We conclude that resistance to DON is important in the FHB resistance complex and hypothesize that Qfhs.ndsu-3BS either encodes a DON-glucosyltransferase or regulates the expression of such an enzyme.

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Dissecting the Contribution of Environmental Influences, Plant Phenology, and Disease Resistance to Improving Genomic Predictions for Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Wheat

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10122008 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 2008

Author(s):

Jose Moreno-Amores ◽

Sebastian Michel ◽

Franziska Löschenberger ◽

Hermann Buerstmayr

Keyword(s):

Linear Regression ◽

Fusarium Head Blight ◽

Genomic Selection ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Fusarium Head Blight Resistance ◽

Resistance Breeding ◽

Multiple Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Head Blight ◽

Severity Scores ◽

Fhb Resistance

Environmental factors like temperature and humidity are presumed to greatly influence Fusarium head blight FHB infections in wheat. Anther retention AR, on the other hand, is a morphologically neutral trait that shares a common genetic basis with FHB resistance. In this study, our aims were to: (i) Evaluate two types of corrections of FHB severity scores, namely method-1 via linear regression on flowering time (FT), and method-2 via a best-subset multiple linear regression analysis comprising FT plus accumulated thermal time variables; and (ii) assess the performance of multi-trait genomic selection (MT.GS) models for FHB severity assisted by AR. The forward prediction scenarios where GS models were trained with data from the previous years revealed average prediction accuracies (PA) of 0.28, 0.33, and 0.36 for FHB severity scores that were uncorrected or corrected by method-1 and method-2, respectively. FHB severity scores free from the influences of both environment and phenology seemed to be the most efficient trait to be predicted across different seasons. Average PA increments up to 1.9-fold were furthermore obtained for the MT.GS models, evidencing the feasibility of using AR as an assisting trait to improve the genomic selection of FHB resistance breeding lines.

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Validation of Molecular Markers for Use With Adapted Sources of Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Wheat

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-10-16-1421-re ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 101 (7) ◽

pp. 1292-1299 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

F. E. Bokore ◽

R. E. Knox ◽

R. M. DePauw ◽

F. Clarke ◽

R. D. Cuthbert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fusarium Head Blight ◽

Fusarium Head Blight Resistance ◽

Phenotypic Selection ◽

T Test ◽

Head Blight ◽

Breeding Populations ◽

Molecular Variants ◽

Fhb Resistance ◽

Selection For ◽

Sumai 3

Genetic control of resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB) is quantitative, making phenotypic selection difficult. Genetic markers to resistance are helpful to select favorable genotypes. This study was conducted to determine if Fhb1 and Fhb5 present in the Sumai 3 source of FHB resistance occur in Sumai 3-derived North American spring wheat cultivars and to understand the appropriateness of using markers to select for the favorable alleles at these loci in breeding. Sumai 3-derived parents Alsen, ND3085, ND744, Carberry, and Glenn were used in crosses to generate 14 doubled haploid breeding populations. The parents and progeny were genotyped with five Fhb1 and three Fhb5 microsatellite markers. Progeny were selected based on performance relative to parents and other control cultivars in FHB nurseries near Portage la Prairie and Carman, MB. χ2 and t test analyses were performed on marker and FHB data. The χ2 test frequently determined the proportion of lines carrying molecular variants associated with FHB resistance increased following nursery selection for FHB. Similarly, the t test regularly demonstrated that selection for FHB resistance lowered the mean level of disease associated with resistant marker haplotypes. The study affirmed FHB resistance sources Alsen, Carberry, ND3085, and ND744 have Fhb1 and Fhb5 loci like Sumai 3, but no evidence was found that Glenn carries Fhb1 and Fhb5 resistance alleles. The results justified use of Fhb1 and Fhb5 markers for marker assisted selection in populations derived from Alsen, Carberry, ND3085, and ND744, but not Glenn. Combined or individual application of Xgwm493 and Xgwm533 in selection of genotypes carrying Fhb1, and Xgwm150, Xgwm304, and Xgwm595 for Fhb5 will enhance FHB resistance in wheat.

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A native QTL for Fusarium head blight resistance in North American barley (Hordeum vulgareL.) independent of height, maturity, and spike type loci

Genome ◽

10.1139/g09-091 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 53 (2) ◽

pp. 111-118 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

G. T. Yu ◽

J. D. Franckowiak ◽

S. M. Neate ◽

B. Zhang ◽

R. D. Horsley

Keyword(s):

North Dakota ◽

Fusarium Head Blight ◽

North American ◽

Eastern China ◽

Heading Date ◽

Fusarium Head Blight Resistance ◽

Gibberella Zeae ◽

Head Blight ◽

Hordeum Vulgare L ◽

Fhb Resistance

Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe (teleomorph Gibberella zeae (Schwein.) Petch), is one of the major diseases of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in eastern China, the Upper Midwest of the USA, and the eastern Prairie Provinces of Canada. To identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling FHB resistance, a recombinant inbred line population (F6:7) was developed from the cross Zhenongda 7/PI 643302. The population was phenotyped for resistance to FHB in two experiments in China and four experiments in North Dakota. Accumulation of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol was determined in one experiment in China and two in North Dakota. Simplified composite interval mapping was performed on the whole genome level using the software MQTL. The QTL FHB-2 from PI 643302 for FHB resistance was found on the distal portion of chromosome 2HL in all six FHB screening environments. This QTL accounted for 14% of phenotypic variation over six environments and was not associated with heading date or plant height. The FHB resistance QTL FHB-2 detected near the end of chromosome 2HL is in a different location from those found previously and is therefore probably unique. Because the QTL was not contributed by the Chinese cultivar Zhenongda 7, it is likely a native QTL present in North American barley. The QTL FHB-2 represents the first reported QTL for native FHB resistance in North American germ plasm and has been given the provisional name Qrgz-2H-14. This QTL should be considered for pyramiding with other FHB QTL previously mapped.

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Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in B-Genome Specific UDP-Glucosyl Transferases Associated with Fusarium Head Blight Resistance and Reduced Deoxynivalenol Accumulation in Wheat Grain

Phytopathology ◽

10.1094/phyto-04-17-0159-r ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 108 (1) ◽

pp. 124-132 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Pallavi Sharma ◽

Manu P. Gangola ◽

Chen Huang ◽

H. Randy Kutcher ◽

Seedhabadee Ganeshan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Fusarium Head Blight ◽

Wheat Variety ◽

Fusarium Head Blight Resistance ◽

Translation Initiation Site ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Head Blight ◽

Single Nucleotide ◽

Improvement Programs ◽

Fhb Resistance

An in vitro spike culture method was optimized to evaluate Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance in wheat (Triticum aestivum) and used to screen a population of ethyl methane sulfonate treated spike culture-derived variants (SCDV). Of the 134 SCDV evaluated, the disease severity score of 47 of the variants was ≤30%. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the UDP-glucosyltransferase (UGT) genes, TaUGT-2B, TaUGT-3B, and TaUGT-EST, differed between AC Nanda (an FHB-susceptible wheat variety) and Sumai-3 (an FHB-resistant wheat cultivar). SNP at 450 and 1,558 bp from the translation initiation site in TaUGT-2B and TaUGT-3B, respectively were negatively correlated with FHB severity in the SCDV population, whereas the SNP in TaUGT-EST was not associated with FHB severity. Fusarium graminearum strain M7-07-1 induced early expression of TaUGT-2B and TaUGT-3B in FHB-resistant SCDV lines, which were associated with deoxynivalenol accumulation and reduced FHB disease progression. At 8 days after inoculation, deoxynivalenol concentration varied from 767 ppm in FHB-resistant variants to 2,576 ppm in FHB-susceptible variants. The FHB-resistant SCDV identified can be used as new sources of FHB resistance in wheat improvement programs.

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Genetic variation for resistance to Fusarium head blight in winter durum material

Crop and Pasture Science ◽

10.1071/cp13170 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 65 (1) ◽

pp. 46 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Thomas Miedaner ◽

Carl Friedrich Horst Longin

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variation ◽

Fusarium Head Blight ◽

Plant Height ◽

Fusarium Culmorum ◽

Heading Time ◽

Head Blight ◽

Breeding Lines ◽

Breeding Material ◽

Quantitative Genetic ◽

Fhb Resistance

Durum is one of the most susceptible cereals to infection with Fusarium head blight (FHB) due to the lack of resistance sources. Data on the genetic variation and heritability of FHB in elite durum, and especially the new evolving winter durum, are lacking. Thus, we compared 105 elite, winter durum breeding lines with an international collection of 62 old and new winter durum cultivars. We evaluated the development of FHB after inoculation by Fusarium culmorum, heading time, and plant height at three field environments in Germany. Significant genetic variation for FHB was identified in the elite breeding material as well as in the collection. Mean FHB rating was normally distributed with a heritability of >0.7 for both sets, indicating the quantitative genetic nature of the trait. Taking heading time, plant height, and FHB resistance into account, the most interesting genotypes were identified in the elite breeding material. Consequences for the ongoing global efforts for improvement of FHB resistance of durum are discussed.

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