Enhancement of broad-spectrum disease resistance in wheat through key genes involved in systemic acquired resistance

• Published in: Frontiers in plant science Vol. 15; p. 1355178
• Main Authors: Zhao, Shuqing, Li, Mengyu, Ren, Xiaopeng, Wang, Chuyuan, Sun, Xinbo, Sun, Manli, Yu, Xiumei, Wang, Xiaodong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 2024
• Subjects: genetic improvement; NPR1; PR genes; systemic acquired resistance; wheat; systemic acquired resistance; wheat; PR genes; genetic improvement; NPR1
• ISSN: 1664-462X; 1664-462X
• DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1355178

Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) is an inducible disease resistance phenomenon in plant species, providing plants with broad-spectrum resistance to secondary pathogen infections beyond the initial infection site. In
, SAR can be triggered by direct pathogen infection or treatment with the phytohormone salicylic acid (SA), as well as its analogues 2,6-dichloroisonicotinic acid (INA) and benzothiadiazole (BTH). The SA receptor non-expressor of pathogenesis-related protein gene 1 (NPR1) protein serves as a key regulator in controlling SAR signaling transduction. Similarly, in common wheat (
), pathogen infection or treatment with the SA analogue BTH can induce broad-spectrum resistance to powdery mildew, leaf rust,
head blight, and other diseases. However, unlike SAR in the model plant
or rice, SAR-like responses in wheat exhibit unique features and regulatory pathways. The acquired resistance (AR) induced by the model pathogen
pv.
strain DC3000 is regulated by
, but its effects are limited to the adjacent region of the same leaf and not systemic. On the other hand, the systemic immunity (SI) triggered by
pv.
(
) or
pv.
(
) is not controlled by
or SA, but rather closely associated with jasmonate (JA), abscisic acid (ABA), and several transcription factors. Furthermore, the BTH-induced resistance (BIR) partially depends on
activation, leading to a broader and stronger plant defense response. This paper provides a systematic review of the research progress on SAR in wheat, emphasizes the key regulatory role of NPR1 in wheat SAR, and summarizes the potential of pathogenesis-related protein (
) genes in genetically modifying wheat to enhance broad-spectrum disease resistance. This review lays an important foundation for further analyzing the molecular mechanism of SAR and genetically improving broad-spectrum disease resistance in wheat.