Biology subjects

Running, K. L. D.

Publications and source records attributed to Running, K. L. D..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Evolution, diversity, function, and marker-based elimination of the disease susceptibility gene Snn1 in wheat

Septoria nodorum blotch (SNB), caused by Parastagonospora nodorum, is a disease of durum and common wheat initiated by the recognition of pathogen-produced necrotrophic effectors (NEs) by specific wheat genes. The wheat gene Snn1 encodes a wall-associated kinase that directly interacts with the NE SnTox1 leading to the development of SNB. Here, sequence analysis of Snn1 from 114 accessions including diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid wheat species revealed that some wheat lines possess two copies of Snn1 (designated Snn1-B1 and Snn1-B2) approximately 120 kb apart. Snn1-B2 evolved relatively recently as a paralog of Snn1-B1, and both genes have undergone diversifying selection. Three point mutations associated with the formation of the first SnTox1-sensitive Snn1-B1 allele from a primitive wild wheat were identified. Four subsequent and independent SNPs, three in Snn1-B1 and one in Snn1-B2, converted the sensitive alleles to insensitive forms. Protein modeling indicated these four mutations could abolish Snn1-SnTox1 compatibility either through destabilization of the Snn1 protein or direct disruption of the protein-protein interaction. High-throughput markers were developed for the causal mutations and evaluated on panels of durum and common wheat. The markers were able to correctly identify 96.9 % of SnTox1-sensitive durum wheat accessions, and a marker for the null allele was 100% accurate at predicting SnTox1-insensitive lines in both durum and spring wheat. Results of this study increase our understanding of the evolution, diversity, and function of Snn1-B1 and Snn1-B2 genes and will be useful for marker-assisted elimination of these genes for better host resistance.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2022

Impact of temperature and time on DNA-free Cas9-ribonucleoprotein mediated gene editing in wheat protoplasts and immature embryos

The advancement of precision engineering for crop trait improvement is important in the face of rapid population growth, climate change, and disease. To this end, targeted double-stranded break technology using RNA-guided Cas9 has been adopted widely for genome editing in plants. Agrobacterium or particle bombardment-based delivery of plasmids encoding Cas9 and guide RNA (gRNA) is common, but requires optimization of expression and often results in random integration of plasmid DNA into the plant genome. Recent advances have described gene editing by the delivery of Cas9 and gRNA as pre-assembled ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) into various plant tissues, but with moderate efficiency in resulting regenerated plants. In this report we describe significant improvements to Cas9-RNP mediated gene editing in wheat. We demonstrate that Cas9-RNP assays in protoplasts are a fast and effective tool for rational selection of optimal gRNAs for gene editing in regenerable immature embryos (IEs), and that high temperature treatment enhances gene editing rates in both tissue types. We also show that Cas9-mediated editing persists for at least 14 days in gold particle bombarded wheat IEs. The regenerated edited wheat plants in this work are recovered at high rates in the absence of exogenous DNA and selection. With this method, we produce knockouts of a set of three homoeologous genes and two pathogenic effector susceptibility genes that result in insensitivity to corresponding necrotrophic effectors produced by Parastagonospora nodorum. The establishment of highly efficient, DNA-free gene editing technology holds promise for accelerated trait diversity production in an expansive array of crops.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2021

The Parastagonospora nodorum necrotrophic effector SnTox5 targets the wheat gene Snn5 and facilitates entry into the leaf mesophyll

Parastagonospora nodorum, causal agent of septoria nodorum blotch, is a destructive necrotrophic fungal pathogen of wheat. P. nodorum is known to secrete several necrotrophic effectors that target wheat susceptibility genes that trigger classical biotrophic resistance responses but resulting in susceptibility rather than resistance. SnTox5 targets the wheat susceptibility gene Snn5 to induce necrosis. In this study, we used full genome sequences of 197 P. nodorum isolates collected from the US and their disease phenotyping on the Snn5 differential line LP29, to perform genome wide association study analysis to localize the SnTox5 gene to chromosome 8 of P. nodorum. SnTox5 was validated using gene transformation and CRISPR-Cas9 based gene disruption. SnTox5 encoded a small secreted protein with a 22 and 45 amino acid secretion signal and a pro sequence, respectively. The SnTox5 gene is under purifying selection in the Upper Midwest but under strong diversifying selection in the South/East regions of the US. Comparison of wild type and SnTox5-disrupted strains on wheat lines with and without the susceptibility target Snn5 showed that SnTox5 has two functions, 1) facilitating colonization of the mesophyll layer, and 2) targeting Snn5 to induce programmed cell death to provide cellular nutrient to complete its necrotrophic life cycle.

pathology↗