Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium graminearum is one of the most devastating diseases in barley. However, effective resistance has not been identified in barley germplasm. We are using two strategies in this study to engineer the host with various genotypes, host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) and CRISPR-mediated gene-editing. The FgGCN5 gene encodes a significant histone acetyltransferase in F. graminearum which is critical for pathogenicity, deoxynivalenol (DON) biosynthesis, and pathogen survival. Targeting the FgGCN5 gene, we have generated transgenic plants to test if HIGS-mediated plant protection is gained in barley. The target for gene-editing is HvHRC, the barley ortholog of FHB1 (TaHRC) in wheat. Since the dominant TaHRC allele is required for disease susceptibility, we expect that FHB-resistant barley can be obtained from HvHRC knockout mutants. Using CRISPR technology, we developed loss-of-function mutants of HvHRC for phenotype screening. All the derived transgenic plants and mutants will be assessed for FHB resistance in both greenhouse and field conditions.
Acknowledgment:
This research was supported by the U.S. Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative, and the US Department of Agriculture–Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS) Current Research Information System (CRIS) Project 3060-21000-038-00D.