Rhomboid-mediated cleavage of the immune receptor XA21 protects grain set and male fertility in rice
Abstract
To maintain growth and to successfully reproduce, organisms must protect key functions in specific tissues, particularly when countering pathogen invasion using internal defensive proteins that may disrupt their own developmental processes. The rice immune receptor XA21 confers race-specific resistance against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae , which causes the deadly disease bacterial leaf blight. Here, we demonstrate that XA21 is cleaved by the rhomboid-like protease OsRBL3b, likely within its transmembrane domain. OsRBL3b mRNA transcripts are preferentially expressed in rice spikelets. Rice plants expressing Xa21 but lacking a functional OsRBL3b displayed impaired anther dehiscence and pollen viability, resulting in male sterility and yield reduction with high levels of XA21 protein present in spikelets during anthesis. In leaves, osrbl3b mutants expressing XA21 had normal levels of this resistance protein and disease immunity. This balance between reproduction and disease resistance through the specific expression of a rhomboid protease may be key to limiting the detrimental effects of an active immune response and may be useful in future for genetic improvement of crops.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (20)
Satyam Vergish
Department of Plant Pathology, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
Xiaoen Huang
Department of Plant Pathology, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
Guiyun Zhang
Department of Plant Pathology, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
Beatriz de Toledo Franceschi
Department of Plant Pathology, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
Jian-Liang Li
Xiao-Xia Wu
Department of Plant Pathology, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
Joana Nuraj
Department of Plant Pathology, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
Jose C. Huguet-Tapia
Department of Plant Pathology, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
Apekshya Parajuli
Department of Plant Pathology, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
Xiuhua Chen
Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira Genomics
Ritu Shekhar
Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida
Dali Liu
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Wu-Ming Xiao
Department of Plant Pathology, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
Shijuan Dou
Department of Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University
Guo-zhen Liu
Department of Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University
Erica M. Goss
Department of Plant Pathology, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
Liya Pi
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University
Sixue Chen
Karen E. Koch
Wen-Yuan Song
Department of Plant Pathology, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida