A Transmembrane Protein WAI-B2 Confers Multiple Disease Resistance in Wheat by Activating Autoimmunity

Area of Science:

• Plant Pathology
• Molecular Genetics
• Crop Science

Background:

• Wheat production is threatened by multiple biotrophic pathogens.
• Developing broad-spectrum disease resistance is crucial for food security.
• Identifying resistance genes is key for breeding improved wheat cultivars.

Purpose of the Study:

• To clone and characterize the wheat autoimmunity-B2 (WAI-B2) gene.
• To investigate WAI-B2's role in resistance against multiple wheat foliar diseases.
• To explore AI-assisted methods for designing novel disease-resistant alleles.

Main Methods:

• Cloning of WAI-B2 from an EMS-induced mutant.
• Phenotypic characterization of WAI-B2 in wheat.
• Protein interaction studies with TaHsp90 and TaHsp70.
• AI-driven prediction (AlphaFold 2, SWISS-MODEL) for allele design.

Main Results:

• WAI-B2 confers resistance to powdery mildew, stripe rust, leaf rust, and stem rust.
• WAI-B2 interacts with TaHsp90 and TaHsp70, impacting cell stability and signaling.
• AI-designed WAI-B2 alleles were generated, some inducing mild cell death in N. benthamiana.

Conclusions:

• WAI-B2 is a valuable gene for conferring broad-spectrum disease resistance in wheat.
• Interactions with heat shock proteins are important for WAI-B2 function.
• AI holds significant potential for accelerating the design of disease-resistant crops.