Zhang Yanqin, Yu Longhui, Guo Shuangyuan, Huang Xueling, Chen Yihan, Gan Pengfei, Lin Yi, Wang Xiaojie, Kang Zhensheng, Zhang Xinmei
State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China.
State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China.
Stress Biol. 2025 Jun 16;5(1):42. doi: 10.1007/s44154-025-00244-7.
Cellulose is synthesized by cellulose synthases (CESAs) in plasma membrane-localized complexes, which act as a central component of the cell wall and influence plant growth and defense responses. Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) is an airborne fungus that causes stripe rust to seriously endanger wheat production. In this study, a CESA gene, TaCESA7, was identified to be significantly up-regulated during Pst infection in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). TaCESA7 was localized on the plasma membrane in dimeric form, and the dimers interact to assemble into CESA complexes. Stable overexpression of TaCESA7 weakened the resistance of wheat to Pst. Knockdown of TaCESA7 by RNA interference (RNAi) and virus-induced gene silencing led to restricted hyphal spread, increased necrotic area, and simultaneously promotes reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and the expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes. Transcriptome analysis of TaCESA7-RNAi plants revealed that the up-regulated genes were significantly enriched in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and plant-pathogen interaction pathways. Moreover, silencing TaCESA7 promoted the deposition of lignin and the expression of genes related to lignin synthesis. CRISPR-Cas9-mediated inactivation of TaCESA7 in wheat could confer broad-spectrum resistance against Pst without affecting agronomic traits. These findings provide valuable candidate gene resources and guidance for molecular breeding to improve the resistance of wheat to fungal disease.
纤维素由质膜定位复合物中的纤维素合酶（CESAs）合成，这些复合物是细胞壁的核心成分，影响植物生长和防御反应。条锈菌（Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici，Pst）是一种气传真菌，可导致条锈病，严重危害小麦生产。在本研究中，一个CESA基因TaCESA7被鉴定为在小麦（Triticum aestivum L.）受Pst侵染期间显著上调。TaCESA7以二聚体形式定位在质膜上，二聚体相互作用组装成CESA复合物。TaCESA7的稳定过表达削弱了小麦对Pst的抗性。通过RNA干扰（RNAi）和病毒诱导的基因沉默敲低TaCESA7导致菌丝扩展受限、坏死面积增加，同时促进活性氧（ROS）积累和病程相关（PR）基因的表达。对TaCESA7-RNAi植株的转录组分析表明，上调基因在苯丙烷生物合成和植物-病原体相互作用途径中显著富集。此外，沉默TaCESA7促进了木质素的沉积和与木质素合成相关基因的表达。利用CRISPR-Cas9介导的小麦TaCESA7失活可赋予对Pst的广谱抗性，而不影响农艺性状。这些发现为提高小麦对真菌病害抗性的分子育种提供了有价值的候选基因资源和指导。
