An NLR pair in the Pm68 locus confers powdery mildew resistance in durum and common wheat

Huagang He (), Qiulian Tang, Qianyuan Zhang, Shanying Zhu, Sijia Lv, Yinguang Bao, Jiabao Liang, Jiale Wang, Jin Wang, Hongxing Xu, Emile Cavalet-Giorsa, Simon G. Krattinger, Hongjie Li, Chundu Wu, Anli Gao () and Yajun Wang ()
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Huagang He: Jiangsu University
Qiulian Tang: Jiangsu University
Qianyuan Zhang: Jiangsu University
Shanying Zhu: Jiangsu University
Sijia Lv: Henan University
Yinguang Bao: Shandong Agricultural University
Jiabao Liang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Jiale Wang: Jiangsu University
Jin Wang: Jiangsu University
Hongxing Xu: Henan University
Emile Cavalet-Giorsa: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Simon G. Krattinger: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Hongjie Li: Xianghu Laboratory
Chundu Wu: Jiangsu University
Anli Gao: Henan University
Yajun Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Common wheat and durum wheat are widely cultivated cereal crops, both of which are infected by the obligate biotrophic pathogen Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt), causing powdery mildew. Recently, Pm68 gene was identified on the short arm of chromosome 2B in the Greek durum wheat line TRI 1796, conferring resistance to this disease. Here, we have cloned Pm68 from TRI 1796 using an integrated approach of genetic mapping, association analysis and PacBio sequencing. Transgenic assays demonstrate that Pm68 mediated resistance is controlled by a pair of genetically linked nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR)-encoding genes, Pm68-1 and Pm68-2. Transient expression assays in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves reveal that the activation of Pm68-1 is positively modulated by Pm68-2, likely through its N-terminal coiled-coil (CC)-like domain. Evolutionary analysis traces the origin of Pm68 to a specific wild emmer subpopulation. The introgression and transgenic wheat lines carrying this gene show no significant negative effects on major agronomic traits, highlighting the potential value of Pm68 for disease-resistant breeding programs of both durum wheat and common wheat.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-64048-z

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