Phytopathology. 2014 Aug;104(8):871-8. doi: 10.1094/PHYTO-10-13-0295-R.
Wheat yellow (stripe) rust, caused by the obligate biotrophic fungus Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, is a continual threat to wheat fields worldwide. New isolates with increased virulence have recently emerged driving breeding efforts to incorporate disease resistance genes which confer potentially more durable, albeit partial, resistance. Yr36 is one such locus which was recently cloned (WKS1) and described as a high-temperature adult-plant gene being effective only at temperatures above 25°C. We examined the potential use of Yr36 at temperatures below 25°C. Field experiments in the United Kingdom across 2 years show that lines carrying Yr36 provide slow rusting resistance to the yellow rust pathogen. Juvenile and adult Yr36 isogenic lines showed partial resistance at temperatures below 18°C under control environment conditions in tetraploid and hexaploid genetic backgrounds, but not at seedling stage, when inoculated with U.K. P. striiformis isolates. This partial resistance phenotype was similar to that observed previously at temperatures ≥25°C. Transgenic complementation tests and ethyl methanesulfonate mutants showed that the low-temperature partial resistance was due to the WKS1 gene. This study indicates that Yr36 has the potential to be an effective source of partial resistance in temperate wheat growing regions.
小麦黄花叶（条纹）锈病由专性活体营养真菌条形柄锈菌小麦专化型引起，是全球小麦田的持续威胁。最近出现了具有更高毒性的新分离株，这推动了培育工作，以引入具有潜在更持久（尽管是部分）抗性的抗病基因。Yr36 就是这样一个基因座，它最近被克隆（WKS1），并被描述为一个高温成株期基因，仅在高于 25°C 的温度下有效。我们研究了 Yr36 在低于 25°C 温度下的潜在用途。在英国进行的为期两年的田间试验表明，携带 Yr36 的系提供了对黄花叶锈病病原体的缓慢锈病抗性。在四倍体和六倍体遗传背景下的控制环境条件下，幼龄和成株 Yr36 同基因系在 18°C 以下表现出部分抗性，但在幼苗期接种英国条形柄锈菌分离株时则没有。这种部分抗性表型与之前在 ≥25°C 温度下观察到的表型相似。转基因互补测试和甲基磺酸乙酯突变体表明，低温部分抗性是由于 WKS1 基因。本研究表明，Yr36 有可能成为温带小麦种植区部分抗性的有效来源。
