Abstract
Fusarium head blight (FHB) and Fusarium seedling blight (FSB) of wheat, caused by Fusarium pathogens, are devastating diseases worldwide. We report the expression of RNA interference (RNAi) sequences derived from an essential Fusarium graminearum (Fg) virulence gene, chitin synthase (Chs) 3b, as a method to enhance resistance of wheat plants to fungal pathogens. Deletion of Chs3b was lethal to Fg; disruption of the other Chs gene family members generated knockout mutants with diverse impacts on Fg. Comparative expression analyses revealed that among the Chs gene family members, Chs3b had the highest expression levels during Fg colonization of wheat. Three hairpin RNAi constructs corresponding to the different regions of Chs3b were found to silence Chs3b in transgenic Fg strains. Co-expression of these three RNAi constructs in two independent elite wheat cultivar transgenic lines conferred high levels of stable, consistent resistance (combined type I and II resistance) to both FHB and FSB throughout the T3 to T5 generations. Confocal microscopy revealed profoundly restricted mycelia in Fg-infected transgenic wheat plants. Presence of the three specific short interfering RNAs in transgenic wheat plants was confirmed by Northern blotting, and these RNAs efficiently down-regulated Chs3b in the colonizing Fusarium pathogens on wheat seedlings and spikes. Our results demonstrate that host-induced gene silencing of an essential fungal chitin synthase gene is an effective strategy for enhancing resistance in crop plants under field test conditions.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Deletion of Chs3b was lethal to Fusarium graminearum.
- Taxon
- wheat
Triticum aestivume0 - Treatment
- Deletion of Chs3be1
- Gene
- Chs3be1
- Outcome
- lethal to Fge1
FusariumNot reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“wheat, caused by Fusarium pathogens”
e1“Deletion of Chs3b was lethal to Fg”
Claim · model-written summary
Other Chs gene knockouts had varied effects on the fungus.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- disruption of the other Chs gene family memberse1
- Gene
- Chse1
- Outcome
- diverse impacts on Fge1
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“wheat, caused by Fusarium pathogens”
e1“disruption of the other Chs gene family members generated knockout mutants with diverse impacts on Fg”
Claim · model-written summary
Chs3b had the highest expression among Chs genes during fungal colonization of wheat.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Interactor
- Fge0pathogen
- Gene
- Chs3be0
- Outcome
- expression levelse0
- Direction
- higheste0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“among the Chs gene family members, Chs3b had the highest expression levels during Fg colonization of wheat”
Claim · model-written summary
Three hairpin constructs silenced Chs3b in transgenic fungal strains.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- Three hairpin RNAi constructse1
- Interactor
- fungal pathogense0pathogen
- Gene
- Chs3be1
- Outcome
- silence Chs3b in transgenic Fg strainse1
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“wheat plants to fungal pathogens”
e1“Three hairpin RNAi constructs corresponding to the different regions of Chs3b were found to silence Chs3b in transgenic Fg strains.”
Claim · model-written summary
Coexpression of the three constructs gave stable resistance to Fusarium head blight through T3 to T5.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- Co-expression of these three RNAi constructse0
- Outcome
- resistance (combined type I and II resistance) to both FHB and FSBe0
- Direction
- high levelse0
- Qualifier
- throughout the T3 to T5 generationse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Co-expression of these three RNAi constructs in two independent elite wheat cultivar transgenic lines conferred high levels of stable, consistent resistance (combined type I and II resistance) to both FHB and FSB throughout the T3 to T5 generations.”
e1“Fusarium head blight (FHB)”
Claim · model-written summary
Transgenic wheat restricted fungal mycelia.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Treatment
- transgenic wheat plantse0
- Interactor
- Fge0pathogen
- Outcome
- myceliae0
- Direction
- restrictede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Confocal microscopy revealed profoundly restricted mycelia in Fg-infected transgenic wheat plants.”
Claim · model-written summary
The three siRNAs were detected in transgenic wheat.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Outcome
- Presence of the three specific short interfering RNAse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Presence of the three specific short interfering RNAs in transgenic wheat plants was confirmed by Northern blotting”
Claim · model-written summary
The siRNAs downregulated fungal Chs3b during colonization of wheat seedlings and spikes.
- Taxon
- wheatTriticum aestivume0
- Organ / stage
- seedlings and spikese0
- Treatment
- these RNAse0
- Interactor
- Fusarium pathogense0pathogen
- Gene
- Chs3be0
- Outcome
- Chs3b in the colonizing Fusarium pathogense0
- Direction
- down-regulatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“these RNAs efficiently down-regulated Chs3b in the colonizing Fusarium pathogens on wheat seedlings and spikes”
The same questions in other papers
loss of function · Fusarium · Triticum aestivum (wheat)Positive and negative results
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 4 in the opposite direction
- positive
- negative
- negative
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.