TaXa21, a Leucine-Rich Repeat Receptor-Like Kinase Gene Associated with TaWRKY76 and TaWRKY62, Plays Positive Roles in Wheat High-Temperature Seedling Plant Resistance to Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici.

Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici causes wheat stripe rust, one of most important diseases of wheat worldwide. High-temperature seedling plant (HTSP) resistance of wheat to P. striiformis f. sp. tritici is one specific type of host resistance, induced by high temperature (HT). Receptor-like kinases (RLKs) play key roles in regulating plant development and signaling networks, but there have been no reports on possible roles played by RLKs in wheat HTSP to P. striiformis f. sp. tritici. In the present study, a leucine rich repeat (LRR)-RLK gene, TaXa21, with a high homology with rice bacterial blight resistance gene Xa21, was cloned from wheat cultivar Xiaoyan 6 (XY 6). TaXa21 expression was up-regulated by the exposure to HT (20°C) for 24 h at 8 days postinoculation with P. striiformis f. sp. tritici and was induced by ethylene (ET) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Knocking down TaXa21 using virus-induced gene silencing reduced HTSP resistance to P. striiformis f. sp. tritici compared with the control plants. In addition, the expression level of TaCAT in the H2O2 pathway was induced and TaACO in the ET signal pathway was reduced in the HT-treated TaXa21-silenced plants. Transient expression of TaXa21 in tobacco leaves confirmed its subcellular localization in plasma membrane, consistent with the prediction from bioinformatics analysis. The transmembrane and kinase domain of TaXa21 can interact with TaWRKY76 in the nucleus and cell membrane, which is different from the localization of Xa21 in rice. The interaction between TaWRKY76 and TaWRKY62 (positively involved in the HTSP resistance of XY 6) were observed. Together, these results indicated that TaXa21 is a RLK associated with TaWRKY76 and TaWRKY62 and functions as a positive regulator of wheat HTSP resistance to P. striiformis f. sp. tritici. Furthermore, the host defense is mediated by the H2O2 and ET signal pathways.