Abstract
We show that the genomes of maize, sorghum, and brachypodium contain genes that, when transformed into rice, confer resistance to rice blast disease. The genes are resistance genes (R genes) that encode proteins with nucleotide-binding site (NBS) and leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domains (NBS-LRR proteins). By using criteria associated with rapid molecular evolution, we identified three rapidly evolving R-gene families in these species as well as in rice, and transformed a randomly chosen subset of these genes into rice strains known to be sensitive to rice blast disease caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. The transformed strains were then tested for sensitivity or resistance to 12 diverse strains of M. oryzae. A total of 15 functional blast R genes were identified among 60 NBS-LRR genes cloned from maize, sorghum, and brachypodium; and 13 blast R genes were obtained from 20 NBS-LRR paralogs in rice. These results show that abundant blast R genes occur not only within species but also among species, and that the R genes in the same rapidly evolving gene family can exhibit an effector response that confers resistance to rapidly evolving fungal pathogens. Neither conventional evolutionary conservation nor conventional evolutionary convergence supplies a satisfactory explanation of our findings. We suggest a unique mechanism termed "constrained divergence," in which R genes and pathogen effectors can follow only limited evolutionary pathways to increase fitness. Our results open avenues for R-gene identification that will help to elucidate R-gene vs. effector mechanisms and may yield new sources of durable pathogen resistance.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Three rapidly evolving R gene families were identified across the studied grasses and rice.
- Taxon
- maize, sorghum, and brachypodium
Sorghum
Zea mays
Brachypodiume2 - Gene
- R-gene familiese0
- Outcome
- three rapidly evolving R-gene familiese0
- Value
- threee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“we identified three rapidly evolving R-gene families in these species as well as in rice”
e2“A total of 15 functional blast R genes were identified among 60 NBS-LRR genes cloned from maize, sorghum, and brachypodium”
Claim · model-written summary
Fifteen functional blast resistance genes were identified among 60 genes cloned from maize, sorghum and brachypodium.
- Taxon
- maize, sorghum, and brachypodiumSorghumZea maysBrachypodiume0
- Gene
- blast R genese0
- Outcome
- functional blast R genese0
- Value
- 15e0
- Qualifier
- among 60 NBS-LRR genese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A total of 15 functional blast R genes were identified among 60 NBS-LRR genes cloned from maize, sorghum, and brachypodium”
Claim · model-written summary
Thirteen blast resistance genes were obtained from 20 rice NBS LRR paralogs.
- Taxon
- rice
Oryza sativae0 - Gene
- blast R genese0
- Outcome
- blast R genese0
- Value
- 13e0
- Qualifier
- 20 NBS-LRR paralogse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“13 blast R genes were obtained from 20 NBS-LRR paralogs in rice”
Claim · model-written summary
Resistance genes from the grass species conferred rice blast resistance when transformed into rice.
- Taxon
- riceOryza sativae0
- Treatment
- transformed into ricee0
- Interactor
- Magnaporthe oryzae
Pyricularia oryzaee1pathogen - Gene
- genese0
- Outcome
- resistance to rice blast diseasee0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the genomes of maize, sorghum, and brachypodium contain genes that, when transformed into rice, confer resistance to rice blast disease”
e1“rice blast disease caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae”
Claim · model-written summary
Resistance genes within the same rapidly evolving family can confer resistance through an effector response.
- Taxon
- riceOryza sativae1
- Interactor
- Magnaporthe oryzaePyricularia oryzaee1pathogen
- Gene
- R genese0
- Outcome
- resistance to rapidly evolving fungal pathogense0
- Qualifier
- effector responsee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the R genes in the same rapidly evolving gene family can exhibit an effector response that confers resistance to rapidly evolving fungal pathogens”
e1“rice blast disease caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors propose constrained divergence as a possible explanation for limited evolutionary pathways of resistance genes and pathogen effectors.
- Taxon
- riceOryza sativae1
- Interactor
- Magnaporthe oryzaePyricularia oryzaee1pathogen
- Gene
- R genese0
- Outcome
- limited evolutionary pathways to increase fitnesse0
- Qualifier
- constrained divergencee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“We suggest a unique mechanism termed "constrained divergence," in which R genes and pathogen effectors can follow only limited evolutionary pathways to increase fitness”
e1“rice blast disease caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae”
The same questions in other papers
transgenic · Pyricularia oryzae · Oryza sativa (rice)Positive and negative results
3 papers in the same direction as this paper · 3 in the opposite direction
- negative
- no effect
- no effect
3 papers more in this group
See all 7 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.