The small GTP-binding protein TaRop10 interacts with TaTrxh9 and functions as a negative regulator of wheat resistance against the stripe rust.

Small GTP-binding proteins, also known as ROPs (Rho of Plants), are a subfamily of the Ras superfamily of signaling G-proteins and are required for numerous signaling processes, ranging from growth and development to biotic and abiotic signaling. In this study, we cloned and characterized wheat TaRop10, a homolog of Arabidopsis ROP10 and member of the class II ROP, and uncovered a role for TaRop10 in wheat response to Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst). TaRop10 was downregulated by actin depolymerization and was observed to be differentially induced by abiotic stress and the perception of plant hormones. A combination of yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays revealed that TaRop10 interacted with a h-type thioredoxin (TaTrxh9). Knocking-down of TaRop10 and TaTrxh9 was performed using the BSMV-VIGS (barley stripe mosaic virus-based virus-induced gene silencing) technique and revealed that TaRop10 and TaTrxh9 play a role in the negative regulation of defense signaling in response to Pst infection. In total, the data presented herein further illuminate our understanding of how intact plant cells accommodate fungal infection structures, and furthermore, support the function of TaRop10 and TaTrxh9 in negative modulation of defense signaling in response to stripe rust infection.