Dong Chaopei, Wu Yabin, Gao Jingyang, Song Yunxia, Wu Zhaokun, Wang Zhao, He Jianju, Yu Qian, Zhao Zhonghuan, Cao Mengya, Zhang Ronghui, Song Weibin, Zhang Xuecai, Jing Pei, Sun Doudou, Zhang Huiyong, Zhou Zijian, Chen Jiafa, Wu Jianyu
College of Agronomy, State Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
College of Agronomy, State Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China; Changyuan Branch, Henan Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Xinxiang 453400, China.
Plant Commun. 2025 Jul 14;6(7):101380. doi: 10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101380. Epub 2025 May 19.
Fusarium ear rot (FER), caused by Fusarium verticillioides, results in substantial yield losses and poses a significant threat to maize production worldwide. However, the genetic basis of FER resistance remains poorly understood. Utilizing QTL-seq and association analysis, we identified a gene encoding UDP-ᴅ-glucuronate 4-epimerase 1 (ZmGAE1). A 141-base pair insertion was revealed as the natural functional variation in the promoter of ZmGAE1, which decreases its expression and enhances resistance to FER. Functional validation confirmed that ZmGAE1 acts as a negative regulator of maize resistance to FER. Notably, reduced ZmGAE1 accumulation not only improved FER resistance but also lowered fumonisin content. This effect was attributed to increased cell density within the down-placenta chalaza region, accompanied by the accumulation of galacturonic acid and pectin. Crucially, lines lacking ZmGAE1 exhibited no adverse effects on key agronomic traits and showed resistance to multiple diseases, including maize stalk rot, southern leaf blight, and seed rot. These findings highlight ZmGAE1 as a promising candidate for improving FER resistance in maize, offering a novel approach for crop protection and sustainable agriculture.
由轮枝镰孢菌引起的玉米穗腐病（FER）会导致大幅减产，并对全球玉米生产构成重大威胁。然而，人们对FER抗性的遗传基础仍知之甚少。利用QTL-seq和关联分析，我们鉴定出一个编码UDP-D-葡萄糖醛酸4-差向异构酶1（ZmGAE1）的基因。发现一个141个碱基对的插入是ZmGAE1启动子中的天然功能变异，它会降低其表达并增强对FER的抗性。功能验证证实ZmGAE1是玉米对FER抗性的负调控因子。值得注意的是，ZmGAE1积累的减少不仅提高了对FER的抗性，还降低了伏马毒素含量。这种效应归因于下胎盘合点区域细胞密度的增加，同时伴有半乳糖醛酸和果胶的积累。至关重要的是，缺乏ZmGAE1的品系对关键农艺性状没有不利影响，并且对多种疾病具有抗性，包括玉米茎腐病、玉米大斑病和种子腐烂病。这些发现突出了ZmGAE1作为提高玉米FER抗性的一个有前景的候选基因，为作物保护和可持续农业提供了一种新方法。
