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Poster # 301
Poster Title: Understanding Substrate Specificity and Function of the Barley UDP-Glucosyltransferase UGT13248 During Fusarium Head Blight
Authors: Gerit Bethke 1, Sean P. O'Mara 1, Yadong Huang 1, Herbert Michlmayr 2, Franz Berthiller 3, and Gary J. Muehlbauer 1
1. University of Minnesota, Agronomy and Plant Genetics, St. Paul, MN
2. University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Institute of Microbial Genetics (IMIG), Tulln, Austria
3. University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Institute of Bioanalytics and Agro-Metabolomics, Tulln, Austria
Corresponding Author: Gary J. Muehlbauer, muehl003@umn.edu
Presenting Author:   Gerit Bethke



Fusarium Head Blight of wheat and barley is caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium graminearum. Various F. graminearum isolates produce trichothecene mycotoxins such as Deoxynivalenol (DON), Nivalenol (NIV) and NX-2. Barley has been shown to have broad type-2 resistance to F. graminearum. The barley UDP-Glucosyltransferase UGT13248 detoxifies the major F. graminearum mycotoxin DON by conversion to the glucoside Deoxynivalenol-3-O-glucoside (D3G). UGT13248 confers type-2 resistance to F. graminearum (PH-1) by limiting fungal spread within the barley spike after point inoculation. Dip inoculation of barley spikes with F. graminearum (PH-1) resulted in equal numbers of diseased plants and initial infection points between UGT13248 mutants and wild-type sister lines, while the total number of diseased spikelets was strongly increased in UGT13248 mutants. This suggests that UGT13248 confers only type-2, not type-1, resistance to F. graminearum. RNAseq experiments showed that expression of plant immune signaling genes were induced earlier after treatment with F. graminearum in UGT13248 mutant plants compared to wild-type sister lines. We are currently using confocal laser scanning microscopy to study the spread of F. graminearum, as well as induction of the trichothecene production pathway in wild-type and UGT13248 mutant plants. Further, different F. graminearum isolates produce specific trichothecene mycotoxins. UGT13248 glucosylated the trichothecenes DON, NX-2 and NIV. UGT13248 mutant plants were significantly more susceptible to F. graminearum isolates producing 15-Acetyl-DON (15-ADON), 3-ADON, and NX-2 compared to wild-type sister lines. This suggests multiple trichothecene mycotoxins act as virulence factors in F. graminearum and can be detoxified by UGT13248 resulting in increased barley resistance to these different F. graminearum isolates.