AUTHOR=Rajaraman Jeyaraman , Douchkov Dimitar , Hensel Götz , Stefanato Francesca L. , Gordon Anna , Ereful Nelzo , Caldararu Octav F. , Petrescu Andrei-Jose , Kumlehn Jochen , Boyd Lesley A. , Schweizer Patrick 

TITLE=An LRR/Malectin Receptor-Like Kinase Mediates Resistance to Non-adapted and Adapted Powdery Mildew Fungi in Barley and Wheat

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2016

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2016.01836

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2016.01836

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) belonging to the multigene family of receptor-like kinases (RLKs) are the sensing devices of plants for microbe- or pathogen-associated molecular patterns released from microbial organisms. Here we describe <italic>Rnr8</italic> (for <italic>Required for non-host resistance 8</italic>) encoding HvLEMK1, a LRR-malectin domain-containing transmembrane RLK that mediates non-host resistance of barley to the non-adapted wheat powdery mildew fungus <italic>Blumeria graminis</italic> f.sp. <italic>tritici</italic>. Transgenic barley lines with silenced <italic>HvLEMK1</italic> allow entry and colony growth of the non-adapted pathogen, although sporulation was reduced and final colony size did not reach that of the adapted barley powdery mildew fungus <italic>B. graminis</italic> f.sp. <italic>hordei</italic>. Transient expression of the barley or wheat <italic>LEMK1</italic> genes enhanced resistance in wheat to the adapted wheat powdery mildew fungus while expression of the same genes did not protect barley from attack by the barley powdery mildew fungus. The results suggest that <italic>HvLEMK1</italic> is a factor mediating non-host resistance in barley and quantitative host resistance in wheat to the wheat powdery mildew fungus.</p>