Rice genes specifically expressed in a rice mutant gained resistance to rice blast.(oral)

A gain-of-function mutant, SHM-11 obtained through gamma-ray mutagenesis, is resistant to rice blast caused by Magnaporthe grisea while wild type Sanghaehyanghyella is highly susceptible to the same disease. The resistance in the mutant was not race-specific when we tested with four races (KJ-201, KI-1113a, KI-313, KI-409) of M. grisea. To identify genes involved disease resistance in the gain-of-function mutant, genes specifically expressed in the mutant were selected by suppression subtractive hybridization using cDNAS of blast-inoculated mutant and wild type as a tester and a driver, respectively, Random 200 clones from the subtracted library were selected and analyzed by DNA sequencing. The sequenced genes represented three major groups related with disease resistance； genes encoding PR proteins, genes probably for phytoalexin biosynthesis, and genes involved in disease resistance signal transduction. A gene encoding a putative receptor-like protein kinase was identified as highly expressed only in the gain-of-function mutant after blast infection. The role of the putative receptor-like protein kinase gene during blast resistance will be further studied.