Yang Xiaoying, Xu Maoru, Wang Guangyi, Cheng Xiaofang, Feng Zhengkai, Zhao Xiaoqi, Li Tingdong, Deng Pingchuan, Wang Changyou, Liu Xinlun, Zhao Jixin, Chen Chunhuan, Ji Wanquan
College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, Yangling, 712100, China.
Stress Biol. 2025 Jul 23;5(1):48. doi: 10.1007/s44154-025-00240-x.
Fusarium head blight (FHB, also known as wheat scab or ear blight), caused primarily by the Fusarium graminearum, is a worldwide disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Studying the pathogen expansion patterns and molecular mechanisms of disease resistance in resistant wheat varieties is crucial for advancing wheat disease management strategies. Here, we found a significant difference between two wheat cultivars with different resistances, and it was revealed that they exhibited divergent pathogen infestation process. The susceptible cultivar showed extensive pathogen in the spike rachis, while resistant varieties only had limited pathogen spread and colonization. Meanwhile, wheat resistance to FHB was positively correlated with transcriptional reprogramming in the early stages, with higher expression of genes responding to plant defense related genes and phenylpropanoid pathway genes in the early stages of disease resistant variety. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) of differential expression genes (DEGs) analysis led to the construction of a network modules associated with resistance genes, and an important role of heavy metal-associated (HMA) domain protein in plant defense was identified in the tan module. RNA-induced gene silencing preliminarily identified two key genes that resistance to FHB in wheat: a cytochrome P450 (CYP) gene involved in the flavonoid biosynthesis within the phenylpropanoid pathway and HMA gene. This study provides an in-depth analysis of the infection mechanisms of wheat by F. graminearum and elucidates the key molecular mechanisms involved, while being useful for advancing the breeding of wheat varieties resistant to FHB.
赤霉病（FHB，也称为小麦赤霉病或穗腐病），主要由禾谷镰刀菌引起，是一种在全球范围内影响小麦（普通小麦）的病害。研究病原菌在抗性小麦品种中的扩展模式和抗病分子机制对于推进小麦病害管理策略至关重要。在此，我们发现了两个抗性不同的小麦品种之间存在显著差异，并且揭示了它们呈现出不同的病原菌侵染过程。感病品种在穗轴中显示出广泛的病原菌侵染，而抗性品种仅具有有限的病原菌传播和定殖。同时，小麦对赤霉病的抗性在早期与转录重编程呈正相关，抗病品种在病害早期阶段中与植物防御相关基因和苯丙烷类途径基因响应的基因表达较高。对差异表达基因（DEG）进行加权基因共表达网络分析（WGCNA），构建了与抗性基因相关的网络模块，并在棕色模块中鉴定出重金属相关（HMA）结构域蛋白在植物防御中的重要作用。RNA诱导的基因沉默初步鉴定出两个小麦抗赤霉病的关键基因：一个参与苯丙烷类途径中黄酮类生物合成的细胞色素P450（CYP）基因和HMA基因。本研究深入分析了禾谷镰刀菌对小麦的侵染机制，并阐明了其中涉及的关键分子机制，同时有助于推进抗赤霉病小麦品种的育种工作。
