, a new executor gene that confers durable and broad-spectrum resistance to bacterial blight disease in rice.

Bacterial blight (BB) is a globally devastating rice disease caused by pv. (). The use of disease resistance () genes in rice breeding is an effective and economical strategy for the control of this disease. Nevertheless, a majority of genes lack durable resistance for long-term use under global warming conditions. Here, we report the isolation of a novel executor gene, , that confers extremely durable, broad-spectrum, and heat-tolerant resistance to . The expression of was induced by incompatible strains that secreted the transcription activator-like effector (TALE) AvrXa7 or PthXo3, which recognized effector binding elements (EBEs) in the promoter. Furthermore, induction was faster and stronger under high temperatures. Overexpression of or co-transformation of with triggered a hypersensitive response in plants. Constitutive expression of activated a defense response in the absence of but inhibited the growth of transgenic rice plants. In addition, analysis of over 3000 rice varieties showed that the locus was found primarily in the and subgroups. A variation consisting of an 11-bp insertion and a base substitution (G to T) was found in in the tested varieties, resulting in a loss of BB resistance. Through a decade of effort, we have identified an important BB resistance gene and characterized its distinctive interaction with strains; these findings will greatly facilitate research on the molecular mechanism of -mediated resistance and promote the use of this valuable gene in breeding.