A gene encoding a polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein (PGIP) is a candidate gene for bruchid (Coleoptera: bruchidae) resistance in mungbean (Vigna radiata).

KEY MESSAGE: The Br locus confers bruchid resistance in mungbean; VrPGIP2 (encoding a polygalacturonase inhibitor) is a strong candidate gene for this resistance. The VrPGIP2 sequence differs between resistant and susceptible lines. Azuki bean weevil (Callosobruchus chinensis) and cowpea weevil (Callosobruchus maculatus) are serious insect pests of mungbean during storage. Bruchid resistance in mungbean is controlled by a single dominant locus, Br. Although the Br locus has been located on a genetic map, molecular basis and function of the gene remain unknown. In this study, high-resolution mapping using a BC11F2 population of 418 plants derived from a cross between 'Kamphaeng Saen 1' (KPS1; susceptible) and 'V2802' (resistant) using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers delimited the Br locus to a genomic region of 38 Kb of chromosome 5 containing two annotated genes. EST-SSR marker DMB-SSR158 co-segregated perfectly with the Br locus. Bioinformatics analyses revealed that DMB-SSR158 corresponds to a gene encoding a polygalacturonase inhibitor (polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein PGIP) and was designated as VrPGIP2. Comparison of VrPGIP2 coding sequences between four bruchid-resistant (V2802, V1128, V2817 and TC1966) and four bruchid-susceptible (KPS1, Sulu-1, CM and an unknown accession) mungbean lines revealed six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between the resistant and susceptible groups. Three of the six SNPs resulted in amino acid changes; namely, alanine (A) to serine (S) at position 320, leucine (L) to proline (P) at position 332, and threonine (T) to P at position 335 of the VrPGIP2 sequence in resistant lines, compared with that in susceptible lines. The A to S change at position 320 may affect the interaction between PGIP and polygalacuronase. These results indicate that VrPGIP2 is very likely the gene at the Br locus responsible for bruchid resistance in mungbean.