Multiple Alleles Encoding Atypical NLRs with Unique Central Tandem Repeats in Rice Confer Resistance to pv. .

Plants have developed various mechanisms for avoiding pathogen invasion, including () genes. Most  genes encode nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat containing proteins (NLRs). Here, we report the isolation of three new bacterial blight genes in rice, , , and (), which were allelic to and encoded atypical NLRs with unique central tandem repeats (CTRs). We also found that () was the same gene as . Although and conferred different resistance spectra, their performance could be attenuated by iTALEs, as has previously been reported for . XA1, XA1-2, XA14, and non-resistant RGAF differed mainly in the substructure of the leucine-rich repeat domain. They all contained unique CTRs and belonged to the CTR-NLRs, which existed only in Gramineae. We also found that interactions among these genes led to differing resistance performance. In conclusion, our results uncover a unique locus in rice consisting of at least three multiple alleles (, , and ) that encode CTR-NLRs and confer resistance to pv. ().