AUTHOR=Qi Haijun , Guo Feilong , Lv Liangjie , Zhu Xiuliang , Zhang Li , Yu Jinfeng , Wei Xuening , Zhang Zengyan 

TITLE=The Wheat Wall-Associated Receptor-Like Kinase TaWAK-6D Mediates Broad Resistance to Two Fungal Pathogens Fusarium pseudograminearum and Rhizoctonia cerealis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.758196

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2021.758196

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>The soil-borne fungi <italic>Fusarium pseudograminearum</italic> and <italic>Rhizoctonia cerealis</italic> are the major pathogens for the economically important diseases <italic>Fusarium</italic> crown rot (FCR) and sharp eyespot of common wheat (<italic>Triticum aestivum</italic>), respectively. However, there has been no report on the broad resistance of wheat genes against both <italic>F. pseudograminearum</italic> and <italic>R. cerealis</italic>. In the current study, we identified <italic>TaWAK-6D</italic>, a wall-associated kinase (WAK) which is an encoding gene located on chromosome 6D, and demonstrated its broad resistance role in the wheat responses to both <italic>F. pseudograminearum</italic> and <italic>R. cerealis</italic> infection. <italic>TaWAK-6D</italic> transcript induction by <italic>F. pseudograminearum</italic> and <italic>R. cerealis</italic> was related to the resistance degree of wheat and the gene expression was significantly induced by exogenous pectin treatment. Silencing of <italic>TaWAK-6D</italic> compromised wheat resistance to <italic>F. pseudograminearum</italic> and <italic>R. cerealis</italic>, and repressed the expression of a serial of wheat defense-related genes. Ectopic expression of <italic>TaWAK-6D</italic> in <italic>Nicotiana benthamiana</italic> positively modulated the expression of several defense-related genes. TaWAK-6D protein was determined to localize to the plasma membrane in wheat and <italic>N. benthamiana</italic>. Collectively, the TaWAK-6D at the plasma membrane mediated the broad resistance responses to both <italic>F. pseudograminearum</italic> and <italic>R. cerealis</italic> in wheat at the seedling stage. This study, therefore, concludes that <italic>TaWAK-6D</italic> is a promising gene for improving wheat broad resistance to FCR and sharp eyespot.</p>