Cloning of a Resistance Gene Analog from Wheat and Development of a Codominant PCR Marker for Pm21

To investigate the mechanism of resistance to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) powdery mildew, suppression subtractive hybridization was conducted between an isogenic resistant line carrying Pm21 and its recurrent parent Yangmai 5 to isolate the resistance relative genes. A cDNA fragment specifically expressed in the resistant line was obtained and its full length was cloned by in silico cloning and RT-PCR. This gene encoded a deduced protein of 219 amino acids with a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) motif, often found in plant resistance genes, and was designated as Ta-LRR2. Ta-LRR2 had an increased expression level in the resistant line after inoculation with Erysiphe graminis DC. f. sp. tritici Marchal. PCR analysis with different cytogenetic stocks suggested that Ta-LRR2 was specifically associated with chromosome arms 6VS and 6AS. Linkage analysis further showed that Ta-LRR2 could be used as a resistance gene analog polymorphism marker of Pm21 for marker-assisted selection in germplasm enhancement and breeding practice. Moreover, how to isolate Pm21 based on the information obtained for Ta-LRR2 is discussed. (Managing editor: Li-Hui Zhao)