Biotech Updates

Blast Resistance Gene Pi54 Activates Complex Defense Action in Rice

January 20, 2012

One of the biotic stresses that affect rice production is the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, the rice blast pathogen. Several rice blast resistance genes have been identified and characterized however none of them have shown resistance in all strains of M. oryzae. Santosh Kumar Gupta from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute and colleagues conducted microarray analysis to further understand the expression of Pi54 gene which confers high degree of resistance to the different strains of M. oryzae in transgenic rice (Taipei 309).

A total of 1154 differentially expressing genes were identified in the transgenic rice. Various defense response genes, such as callose, laccase, PAL, and peroxidase, and genes related to transcription factors like NAC6, Dof zinc finger, MAD box, bZIP, and WRKY were found to be up-regulated in the transgenic line. The activities of six plant defense response enzymes were found to be significantly high in the transgenic plant at different stages of inoculation by the pathogen. They also noted elevated levels of phenolic compounds, which are involved in disease response pathways.

Based on the various changes in the compounds involved in disease defense pathways, Pi54 activates a complex defense mechanism in rice.

Read the abstract at http://jxb.oxfordjournals.org/content/63/2/757.abstract.