Cloning and Functional Validation of the Candidate Gene LuWRKY39 Conferring Resistance to Septoria linicola (Speg.) Garassini from Flax

Si Chen, Hongmei Yuan, Guangwen Wu, Xue Yang, Dandan Liu, Le Chen, Jing Chen, Yan Liu, Weiping Yin, Cen Li, Linlin Wu, Jun Ma, Daolin Bian and Liguo Zhang ()
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Si Chen: Institute of Industrial Crops, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, China
Hongmei Yuan: Institute of Industrial Crops, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, China
Guangwen Wu: Institute of Industrial Crops, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, China
Xue Yang: Institute of Pratacultural Science, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, China
Dandan Liu: Institute of Industrial Crops, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, China
Le Chen: Institute of Plant Protection, Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenyang 110161, China
Jing Chen: Institute of Industrial Crops, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, China
Yan Liu: Institute of Industrial Crops, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, China
Weiping Yin: Institute of Industrial Crops, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, China
Cen Li: Institute of Industrial Crops, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, China
Linlin Wu: Institute of Industrial Crops, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, China
Jun Ma: Institute of Industrial Crops, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, China
Daolin Bian: Institute of Industrial Crops, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, China
Liguo Zhang: Institute of Industrial Crops, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 14, 1-16

Abstract: WRKY transcription factors play key roles in plant immune responses, including resistance to fungal pathogens. In the present study, we identified a flax resistance-related gene Lus10021999 , named LuWRKY39. Here, to identify the role of WRKY transcription factor in resistance of flax against Septoria linicola , we cloned and analyzed the gene LuWRKY39 via homologous cloning using bioinformatics methods and localized the encoded protein. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to explore the response of this gene to S. linicola. The results showed that the gene that is 948 bp long exhibited the closest genetic relationship to WRKY in castor ( Ricinus communis ), as revealed by phylogenetic analysis, and the encoded protein was localized in the nucleus. The LuWRKY39 gene showed higher expression levels in resistant flax materials than in susceptible ones, and higher in roots and stems than in leaves. Furthermore, gene expression showed an upward trend following treatment with salicylic acid (SA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA), indicating that LuWRKY39 is involved in the regulation of SA and JA signals. By silencing LuWRKY39 in flax using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), the processed plants were more sensitive to S. linicola than untreated plants. Gene expression analysis and disease index statistics confirmed that the silenced plants were more susceptible, highlighting the crucial role of LuWRKY39 in flax disease resistance. This study provides a foundation for functional investigations of WRKY genes in flax and the identification of disease resistance genes.

Keywords: flax; Septoria linicola; WRKY transcription factor; resistance-related genes; functional validation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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