Broad-Spectrum Disease Resistance in Plants

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2024) | Viewed by 9952

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Rice Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan 250100, China
Interests: induced resistance; plant immune memory; susceptibility (S) genes; resistance (R) genes; genetic resistance sources
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Guest Editor
Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan
Interests: broad-spectrum disease resistance; phytoalexin; plant–microbe interaction; plant–herbivore interaction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the recent advances in the study of broad-spectrum disease resistance (BSR) in plants.

Plants have evolved a type of innate immunity to protect themselves against pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, oomycetes and nematodes, as well as herbivores. In agriculture, it is important to confer crops with resistance to multiple pathogens (i.e., BSR), through enhancing plant immunity.

Many components are involved in plant immunity, including cell-surface pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), intracellular nucleotide-binding leucine-rich-repeat receptors (NLRs), receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases, calcium channels, transcription factors, phytohormones, phytoalexins, etc. BSR can be achieved by modifying such components through conventional breeding, genetic engineering, and genome editing. Some chemicals are also effective in enhancing plant immunity.

This Special Issue invites original submissions that address basic and applied research on BSR, including molecular mechanisms of disease resistance, transgenic and genome editing approaches and conventional breeding, as well as chemical-induced BSR.

Dr. Chang-Jie Jiang
Dr. Masaki Mori
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • broad-spectrum disease resistance (BSR)
  • plant–microbe interaction
  • plant immunity
  • transgenic plants
  • genome editing
  • phytoalexin
  • plant hormone
  • induced resistance
  • molecular mechanism
  • crops
  • model plants

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2582 KiB  
Article
A Rapid Method for Screening Pathogen-Associated Molecular Pattern-Triggered Immunity-Intensifying Microbes
by Jing-Lin Zheng, Jia-Rong Li, Ai-Ting Li, Sin-Hua Li, Sabrina Diana Blanco, Si-Yan Chen, Yun-Ru Lai, Ming-Qiao Shi, Tsung-Chun Lin, Jiunn-Feng Su and Yi-Hsien Lin
Plants 2024, 13(16), 2185; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13162185 - 7 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1168
Abstract
PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) is the first layer of plant defense response that occurs on the plant plasma membrane. Recently, the application of a rhizobacterium, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain PMB05, has been demonstrated to enhance flg22Pst- or harpin-triggered PTI response such as callose [...] Read more.
PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) is the first layer of plant defense response that occurs on the plant plasma membrane. Recently, the application of a rhizobacterium, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain PMB05, has been demonstrated to enhance flg22Pst- or harpin-triggered PTI response such as callose deposition. This PTI intensification by PMB05 further contributes to plant disease resistance to different bacterial diseases. Under the demand for rapid and large-scale screening, it has become critical to establish a non-staining technology to identify microbial strains that can enhance PTI responses. Firstly, we confirmed that the expression of the GSL5 gene, which is required for callose synthesis, can be enhanced by PMB05 during PTI activation triggered by flg22 or PopW (a harpin from Ralstonia solanacearum). The promoter region of the GSL5 gene was further cloned and fused to the coding sequence of gfp. The constructed fragments were used to generate transgenic Arabidopsis plants through a plant transformation vector. The transgenic lines of AtGSL5-GFP were obtained. The analysis was performed by infiltrating flg22Pst or PopW in one homozygous line, and the results exhibited that the green fluorescent signals were observed until after 8 h. In addition, the PopW-induced fluorescent signal was significantly enhanced in the co-treatment with PMB05 at 4 h after inoculation. Furthermore, by using AtGSL5-GFP to analyze 13 Bacillus spp. strains, the regulation of PopW-induced fluorescent signal was observed. And, the regulation of these fluorescent signals was similar to that performed by callose staining. More importantly, the Bacillus strains that enhance PopW-induced fluorescent signals would be more effective in reducing the occurrence of bacterial wilt. Taken together, the technique by using AtGSL5-GFP would be a promising platform to screen plant immunity-intensifying microbes to control bacterial wilt. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Broad-Spectrum Disease Resistance in Plants)
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14 pages, 2665 KiB  
Communication
Alterations in Gene Expression during Incompatible Interaction between Amendoim Cavalo Common Bean and Colletotrichum lindemuthianum
by Maike Lovatto, Pedro Soares Vidigal Filho, Maria Celeste Gonçalves-Vidigal, Mariana Vaz Bisneta, Alexandre Catto Calvi, Thiago Alexandre Santana Gilio, Eduardo A. Nascimento and Maeli Melotto
Plants 2024, 13(9), 1245; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13091245 - 30 Apr 2024
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Abstract
Anthracnose, caused by the fungus Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, poses a significant and widespread threat to the common bean crop. The use of plant genetic resistance has proven to be the most effective strategy for managing anthracnose disease. The Amendoim Cavalo (AC) Andean cultivar [...] Read more.
Anthracnose, caused by the fungus Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, poses a significant and widespread threat to the common bean crop. The use of plant genetic resistance has proven to be the most effective strategy for managing anthracnose disease. The Amendoim Cavalo (AC) Andean cultivar has resistance against multiple races of C. lindemuthianum, which is conferred by the Co-AC gene. Fine mapping of this resistance gene to common bean chromosome Pv01 enabled the identification of Phvul.001G244300, Phvul.001G244400, and Phvul.001G244500 candidate genes for further validation. In this study, the relative expression of Co-AC candidate genes was assessed, as well as other putative genes in the vicinity of this locus and known resistance genes, in the AC cultivar following inoculation with the race 73 of C. lindemuthianum. Gene expression analysis revealed significantly higher expression levels of Phvul.001G244500. Notably, Phvul.001G244500 encodes a putative Basic Helix–Loop–Helix transcription factor, suggesting its involvement in the regulation of defense responses. Furthermore, a significant modulation of the expression of defense-related genes PR1a, PR1b, and PR2 was observed in a time-course experiment. These findings contribute to the development of improved strategies for breeding anthracnose-resistant common bean cultivars, thereby mitigating the impact of this pathogen on crop yields and ensuring sustainable bean production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Broad-Spectrum Disease Resistance in Plants)
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14 pages, 5719 KiB  
Article
Molecular and Cytological Identification of Wheat-Thinopyrum intermedium Partial Amphiploid Line 92048 with Resistance to Stripe Rust and Fusarium Head Blight
by Xiaoqin Luo, Yuanjiang He, Xianli Feng, Min Huang, Kebing Huang, Xin Li, Suizhuang Yang and Yong Ren
Plants 2024, 13(9), 1198; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13091198 - 25 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1049
Abstract
Thinopyrum intermedium (2n = 6x = 42, EeEeEbEbStSt or JJJsJsStSt) contains a large number of genes that are highly adaptable to the environment and immune to a variety of wheat diseases, [...] Read more.
Thinopyrum intermedium (2n = 6x = 42, EeEeEbEbStSt or JJJsJsStSt) contains a large number of genes that are highly adaptable to the environment and immune to a variety of wheat diseases, such as powdery mildew, rust, and yellow dwarf, making it an important gene source for the genetic improvement of common wheat. Currently, an important issue plaguing wheat production and breeding is the spread of pests and illnesses. Breeding disease-resistant wheat varieties using disease-resistant genes is currently the most effective measure to solve this problem. Moreover, alien resistance genes often have a stronger disease-resistant effect than the resistance genes found in common wheat. In this study, the wheat-Th. intermedium partial amphiploid line 92048 was developed through hybridization between Th. intermedium and common wheat. The chromosome structure and composition of 92048 were analyzed using ND-FISH and molecular marker analysis. The results showed that the chromosome composition of 92048 (Octoploid Trititrigia) was 56 = 42W + 6J + 4Js + 4St. In addition, we found that 92048 was highly resistant to a mixture of stripe rust races (CYR32, CYR33, and CYR34) during the seedling stage and fusarium head blight (FHB) in the field during the adult plant stage, suggesting that the alien or wheat chromosomes in 92048 had disease-resistant gene(s) to stripe rust and FHB. There is a high probability that the gene(s) for resistance to stripe rust and FHB are from the alien chromosomes. Therefore, 92048 shows promise as a bridge material for transferring superior genes from Th. intermedium to common wheat and improving disease resistance in common wheat. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Broad-Spectrum Disease Resistance in Plants)
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13 pages, 2350 KiB  
Article
Improvement of Broad-Spectrum Disease-Resistant Rice by the Overexpression of BSR1 via a Moderate-Strength Constitutive Promoter and a Pathogen-Inducible Promoter
by Satoru Maeda, Shingo Goto, Haruhiko Inoue, Haruka Suwazono, Hiroshi Takatsuji and Masaki Mori
Plants 2024, 13(8), 1138; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13081138 - 18 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1299
Abstract
Conferring crops with resistance to multiple diseases is crucial for stable food production. Genetic engineering is an effective means of achieving this. The rice receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase BSR1 mediates microbe-associated molecular pattern-induced immunity. In our previous study, we demonstrated that rice lines overexpressing [...] Read more.
Conferring crops with resistance to multiple diseases is crucial for stable food production. Genetic engineering is an effective means of achieving this. The rice receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase BSR1 mediates microbe-associated molecular pattern-induced immunity. In our previous study, we demonstrated that rice lines overexpressing BSR1 under the control of the maize ubiquitin promoter exhibited broad-spectrum resistance to rice blast, brown spot, leaf blight, and bacterial seedling rot. However, unfavorable phenotypes were observed, such as a decreased seed germination rate and a partial darkening of husked rice. Herein, we present a strategy to address these unfavorable phenotypes using an OsUbi7 constitutive promoter with moderate expression levels and a pathogen-inducible PR1b promoter. Rice lines expressing BSR1 under the influence of both promoters maintained broad-spectrum disease resistance. The seed germination rate and coloration of husked rice were similar to those of the wild-type rice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Broad-Spectrum Disease Resistance in Plants)
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Review

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15 pages, 1094 KiB  
Review
The Emerging Role of 2OGDs as Candidate Targets for Engineering Crops with Broad-Spectrum Disease Resistance
by Han Wang, Qinghe Chen and Wanzhen Feng
Plants 2024, 13(8), 1129; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13081129 - 17 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1083
Abstract
Plant diseases caused by pathogens result in a marked decrease in crop yield and quality annually, greatly threatening food production and security worldwide. The creation and cultivation of disease-resistant cultivars is one of the most effective strategies to control plant diseases. Broad-spectrum resistance [...] Read more.
Plant diseases caused by pathogens result in a marked decrease in crop yield and quality annually, greatly threatening food production and security worldwide. The creation and cultivation of disease-resistant cultivars is one of the most effective strategies to control plant diseases. Broad-spectrum resistance (BSR) is highly preferred by breeders because it confers plant resistance to diverse pathogen species or to multiple races or strains of one species. Recently, accumulating evidence has revealed the roles of 2-oxoglutarate (2OG)-dependent oxygenases (2OGDs) as essential regulators of plant disease resistance. Indeed, 2OGDs catalyze a large number of oxidative reactions, participating in the plant-specialized metabolism or biosynthesis of the major phytohormones and various secondary metabolites. Moreover, several 2OGD genes are characterized as negative regulators of plant defense responses, and the disruption of these genes via genome editing tools leads to enhanced BSR against pathogens in crops. Here, the recent advances in the isolation and identification of defense-related 2OGD genes in plants and their exploitation in crop improvement are comprehensively reviewed. Also, the strategies for the utilization of 2OGD genes as targets for engineering BSR crops are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Broad-Spectrum Disease Resistance in Plants)
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14 pages, 976 KiB  
Review
NLR- and mlo-Based Resistance Mechanisms against Powdery Mildew in Cannabis sativa
by Tiziana M. Sirangelo
Plants 2024, 13(1), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13010105 - 29 Dec 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1921
Abstract
Powdery mildew (PM) is one of the most common Cannabis sativa diseases. In spite of this, very few documented studies have characterized the resistance genes involved in PM defense mechanisms, or sources of natural genetic resistance in cannabis. The focus of the present [...] Read more.
Powdery mildew (PM) is one of the most common Cannabis sativa diseases. In spite of this, very few documented studies have characterized the resistance genes involved in PM defense mechanisms, or sources of natural genetic resistance in cannabis. The focus of the present work is on the two primary mechanisms for qualitative resistance against PM. The first is based on resistance (R) genes characterized by conserved nucleotide-binding site and/or leucine-rich repeat domains (NLRs). The second one involves susceptibility (S) genes, and particularly mildew resistance locus o (MLO) genes, whose loss-of-function mutations seem to be a reliable way to protect plants from PM infection. Cannabis defenses against PM are thus discussed, mainly detailing the strategies based on these two mechanisms. Emerging studies about this research topic are also reported and, based on the most significant results, a potential PM resistance model in cannabis plant–pathogen interactions is proposed. Finally, innovative approaches, based on the pyramiding of multiple R genes, as well as on genetic engineering and genome editing methods knocking out S genes, are discussed, to obtain durable PM-resistant cannabis cultivars with a broad-spectrum resistance range. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Broad-Spectrum Disease Resistance in Plants)
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Other

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8 pages, 280 KiB  
Opinion
Mlo-Mediated Broad-Spectrum and Durable Resistance against Powdery Mildews and Its Current and Future Applications
by Antonín Dreiseitl
Plants 2024, 13(1), 138; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13010138 - 4 Jan 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1596
Abstract
Mlo is a well-known broad-spectrum recessively inherited monogenic durable resistance to powdery mildew caused by Blumeria hordei found first in barley, originally in an induced mutant in 1942 and later in other mutants and also in Ethiopian landraces. The first commercial varieties possessing [...] Read more.
Mlo is a well-known broad-spectrum recessively inherited monogenic durable resistance to powdery mildew caused by Blumeria hordei found first in barley, originally in an induced mutant in 1942 and later in other mutants and also in Ethiopian landraces. The first commercial varieties possessing Mlo resistance were released during 1979–1986, but these often showed symptoms of necrotic leaf spotting associated with reduced grain yield. However, this yield penalty was successfully reduced by breeding Mlo-resistant varieties of spring barley predominate in Europe; for example, in the Czech Republic, their ratio surpassed 90% of the total number of newly released varieties. However, outside Europe, Mlo-varieties are not yet popular and can be exploited more widely. Winter barley varieties are generally non-resistant, but the use of Mlo for their breeding is controversial despite the limited adaptability of the pathogen to this resistance. The renewal of mechanically disturbed epidermal plant cell walls, including the penetration of mildews, is common in plants, and the Mlo-type resistance is exploited in many other crop species, including wheat. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Broad-Spectrum Disease Resistance in Plants)
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