The heat shock transcription factor is a critical transcription factor gene family in plant response to biotic and abiotic stress, especially in regulating high-temperature stress. While this gene family has been extensively characterized and investigated across a broad range of plant species, research focusing on desert plants with extreme stress tolerance remains relatively scarce. Therefore, this study aimed at the desert plant Capparis spinosa, conducted the whole genome identification of its HSF gene family, and performed a comprehensive systematic analysis including gene structure, chromosome localization, systematic evolution, gene collinearity, and other characteristics. The results showed that the CsHSF family contains 24 genes that are distributed on 14 chromosomes. It has three types, as usual, and different types of genes contain specific conserved motifs. The CsHSF genes exhibit concentrated collinearity with Arabidopsis thaliana, and upstream of the genes, there are 605 cis-elements in response to growth and development, stress, and hormones. On this basis, heatmaps and co-expression networks were drawn based on the reported gene expression in different growth regions of the Capparis spinosa genome. The results demonstrated that certain genes exhibit distinct expression patterns across different growth regions and have close interrelationships with each other. Further transcriptome sequencing and analysis were performed on the leaves of wild Capparis spinosa exposed to high-temperature stress, and the exploration of differential expression of the CsHSF genes revealed that 8 genes play significant regulatory roles in response to heat stress. The results of this research can provide valuable insights into the function and mechanism of the HSF gene family in desert plants, as well as a reference for the analysis of stress resistance mechanisms in desert plants. The obtained genes can supply candidate genes for subsequent functional verification and mechanism analysis.

The wheat adult-plant powdery mildew resistance gene Pm62 was introgressed through a T2DS·2VL translocation, fine-mapped to a narrowed region on chromosome 2VL, and its impact on yield-related traits was characterized. Powdery mildew, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt), threatens global wheat production. Adult‑plant resistance (APR) genes from wheat relatives remain crucial for its control. The APR gene Pm62 was previously introduced into wheat via the T2BS·2 V#5L translocation from Dasypyrum villosum, while the susceptible T2DS·2 V#4L line NAU198 was also created. Here, we developed a Pm62-harboring T2DS·2 V#5L translocation line, NAU197, from DS2V#5(2D)/NAU0686 progeny and verified its chromosomal constitution using molecular cytogenetic approaches. Inoculation with Bgt isolate E09 demonstrated that both NAU197 and NAU198 were susceptible at the three-leaf stage; however, NAU197 displayed significant resistance after the five-leaf stage and achieved full resistance during elongation. Genetic analysis of NAU197/NAU198 F1 and F2 populations confirmed that Pm62 functions as a single dominant gene. Using 37 polymorphic markers on the 2VL arm, we mapped Pm62 in 233 F2 plants to an interval flanked by InDel markers F30 (0.08 cM) and F79 (0.04 cM). Further screening of 2733 F2 plants identified 11 recombinants within Pm62 interval, and eight newly developed markers delimited Pm62 to a 0.6 Mb region between F86 and F108 in the D. villosum 91C43DH reference genome. This region contains nine high‑confidence protein‑coding genes and five uncharacterized proteins, among which two C2‑domain genes and two chitinase genes are prime candidates. The new T2DS·2 V#5L translocation in wheat background NMZ167 showed no yield penalty. Our results establish an effective strategy for genetic mapping of alien genes and provide a valuable genetic resource and molecular tool for wheat breeding focused on disease resistance.

Wheat powdery mildew severely threats global wheat production. Previously, we cloned the broad-spectrum wheat powdery mildew resistance gene Pm21 which encoded a typical NLR immune receptor. In this study, we identified TaR3H as an interacting protein of the Pm21 coiled-coil (CC) domain (Pm21CC) and performed comprehensive biochemical and functional analysis to illustrate the defense pathway mediated by Pm21. TaR3H, a putative transcription factor, localizes to both the nucleus and plasma membrane, with its transcriptional activation function residing in the N-terminal region. We found that TaR3H interacts with Pm21CC, but not with full-length Pm21（Pm21FL）in uninfected cells, whereas it interacts with both Pm21CC and Pm21FL during Bgt infection, suggesting that the protein folding state or activity of Pm21CC modulates its interaction. Functional studies demonstrated that silencing TaR3H in Pm21-carrying resistant materials compromised resistance to Bgt, while overexpression of TaR3H in the susceptible cultivar enhanced powdery mildew resistance. Integrated transcriptomic and DAP-seq analysis indicated that TaR3H-mediated resistance enhancement is associated with hormone signaling pathway. This study reveals novel functions of TaR3H in the broad-spectrum powdery mildew resistance pathway, providing new insights into the molecular mechanism underlying Pm21-mediatd immunity.

Wheat stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is a devastating disease that threatens global wheat (Triticum aestivum) production. Given the rapid evolution of the Pst pathogen and the scarcity of effective resistance genes in cultivated wheat, resistance sources from wild relatives of wheat are being explored. Haynaldia villosa (2n = 2x = 14, VV), an annual wild relative of cultivated wheat, exhibits strong resistance to multiple wheat diseases. We previously synthesized a series of Triticum durum–H. villosa amphiploid lines to facilitate the transfer of beneficial traits into wheat. In this study, we evaluated the resistance of these amphiploid lines to stripe rust at the seedling stage and further identified a novel resistance gene. In total, eleven amphiploid lines derived from seven H. villosa accessions exhibited high resistance to Pst, among which STH55-1 showed high resistance to multiple Pst races. Genetic analysis using F1, F2, and F2:3 populations indicated that the Pst resistance was controlled by a single dominant gene. We mapped the resistance gene, designated Yr2VS, to chromosome 2VS via bulked-segregant exome-capture sequencing, delimiting it to a 5.6-cM interval (spanning 1.84 Mb in the H. villosa RefSeq) flanked by markers InDel411 and InDel1393. Allelism tests revealed that the resistance gene in STH55-1 was likely allelic to that in STH63-1, but not to those in STH36-3 or STH59-1, and was closely linked to the resistance genes in STH50-4 and STH65-4. These findings demonstrate that the H. villosa-derived amphiploid lines harbor multiple, distinct stripe rust resistance genes, reflecting the high genetic diversity of the species. This combination of high-throughput synthesis, resistance screening, and allelism tests provides an efficient strategy for identifying superior resistance loci. The newly identified Yr2VS gene and the resistance germplasm developed herein represent valuable genetic resources for breeding stripe rust-resistant wheat.

A key objective of wheat (Triticum aestivum) breeding is the simultaneous improvement of disease resistance and bread making quality. The Glu-V1 locus encoding the high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) V71 and the powdery mildew resistance gene Pm67 were previously identified on chromosome arm 1VS of the wild wheat species Dasypyrum villosum. Here, we generated the T1DL.1V#4S translocation line NAU195, which carried the V71 subunit for improved bread-making quality but was susceptible to all 18 isolates of the powdery mildew fungus Bgt examined. By contrast, the previously developed T1DL.1V#5S line NAU196 harbors the Pm67 gene conferring broad-spectrum powdery mildew resistance but lacks the V71 subunit. Genetic analysis of F1 and F2 progenies from a cross between NAU195 and NAU196 confirmed that Pm67 is a single dominant gene. By screening 2954 F2 plants, we fine mapped Pm67 to an approximately 2.1 Mb interval on chro mosome arm 1VS in the reference genome. We identified 35 high-confidence protein-coding genes in this region, including eight candidate genes encoding nucleotide binding site leucine rich repeat (NLR) proteins. We identified 12 recombinant T1DL.1VS translocation lines harboring both the V71 subunit and Pm67 genes, and introgressed one of the corresponding translocations into the high-yielding cultivar NMZ119. Plant development in the resulting T1DL.1VS translocation lines harboring the V71 subunit and Pm67 genes was comparable to that of NMZ119, with no significant yield penalty but with markedly improved powdery mildew resistance and gluten strength. Overall, our strategy for mapping and pyramiding alien genes in the common wheat background allowed us to generate a valuable genetic resource and molecular tool for accelerating the concurrent improvement of powdery mildew resistance and bread making quality. (c) 2026 Crop Science Society of China and Institute of Crop Science, CAAS. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

A key objective of wheat (Triticum aestivum) breeding is the simultaneous improvement of disease resistance and bread making quality. The Glu-V1 locus encoding the high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) V71 and the powdery mildew resistance gene Pm67 were previously identified on chromosome arm 1VS of the wild wheat species Dasypyrum villosum. Here, we generated the T1DLu00B71V#4S translocation line NAU195, which carried the V71 subunit for improved bread-making quality but was susceptible to all 18 isolates of the powdery mildew fungus Bgt examined. By contrast, the previously developed T1DLu00B71V#5S line NAU196 harbors the Pm67 gene conferring broad-spectrum powdery mildew resistance but lacks the V71 subunit. Genetic analysis of F1 and F2 progenies from a cross between NAU195 and NAU196 confirmed that Pm67 is a single dominant gene. By screening 2954 F2 plants, we fine mapped Pm67 to an approximately 2.1 Mb interval on chromosome arm 1VS in the reference genome. We identified 35 highu2013confidence proteinu2013coding genes in this region, including eight candidate genes encoding nucleotide binding site leucine rich repeat (NLR) proteins. We identified 12 recombinant T1DLu00B71VS translocation lines harboring both the V71 subunit and Pm67 genes, and introgressed one of the corresponding translocations into the high-yielding cult

Orphan genes (OGs), which are unique to a specific taxon and have no detectable sequence homology to any known genes across other species, play a pivotal role in governing species-specific phenotypic traits and adaptive evolution. In this study, 20 OGs of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa OGs, BrOGs) were transferred into Arabidopsis thaliana by genetic transformation to construct an overexpression library in which 50% of the transgenic lines had a delayed flowering phenotype, 15% had an early flowering phenotype, and 35% showed no difference in flowering time compared to control plants. There were many other phenotypes attached to these transgenic lines, such as leaf color, number of rosette leaves, and silique length. To understand the impact of BrOGs on delayed flowering, BrOG142OE, which showed the most significantly delayed flowering phenotype, was chosen for further analysis, and BrOG142 was renamed BOLTING RESISTANCE 4 (BR4). In BR4OE, the expression of key flowering genes, including AtFT and AtSOC1, significantly decreased, and AtFLC and AtFRI expression increased. GUS staining revealed BR4 promoter activity mainly in the roots, flower buds and leaves. qRT-PCR showed that BR4 primarily functions in the flowers, flower buds, and leaves of Chinese cabbage. BR4 is a protein localized in the nucleus, cytoplasm, and cell membrane. The accelerated flowering time phenotype of BR4OE was observed under gibberellin and vernalization treatments, indicating that BR4 regulates flowering time in response to these treatments. These results provide a foundation for elucidating the mechanism by which OGs regulate delayed flowering and have significance for the further screening of bolting-resistant Chinese cabbage varieties.

Powdery mildew caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt) seriously threatens wheat production worldwide. It is imperative to identify novel resistance genes from wheat and its wild relatives to control this disease by host resistance. Dasypyrum villosum (2n = 2x = 14, VV) is a relative of wheat and harbors novel genes for resistance against multi-fungal diseases. In the present study, we developed a complete set of new wheat-D. villosum disomic introgression lines through genomic in situ hybridization (GISH), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and molecular markers analysis, including four disomic substitution lines (2n=42) containing respectively chromosomes 1V#6, 2V#6, 3V#6, and 6V#6, and four disomic addition lines (2n=44) containing respectively chromosomes 4V#6, 5V#6, 6V#6 and 7V#6. These lines were subsequently evaluated for their responses to a mixture Bgt isolates at both seedling and adult-plant stages. Results showed that introgression lines containing chromosomes 3V#6, 5V#6, and 6V#6 exhibited resistance at both seedling and adult-plant stages, whereas the chromosome 4V#6 disomic addition line NAU4V#6-1 exhibited a high level of adult plant resistance to powdery mildew. Moreover, two translocation lines were further developed from the progenies of NAU4V#6-1 and the Ph1b mutation line NAU0686-ph1b. They were T4DL·4V#6S whole-arm translocation line NAU4V#6-2 and T7DL·7DS-4V#6L small-fragment translocation line NAU4V#6-3. Powdery mildew tests of the two lines confirmed the presence of an adult-plant powdery mildew resistance gene, Pm4VL, located on the terminal segment of chromosome arm 4V#6L (FL 0.6-1.00). In comparison with the recurrent parent NAU0686 plants, the T7DL·7DS-4V#6L translocation line NAU4V#6-3 showed no obvious negative effect on yield-related traits, providing a new germplasm in breeding for resistance.

Stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis West. f.sp. tritici, Pst) is a destructive disease that seriously threatens wheat production globally. Exploring novel resistance genes for use in wheat breeding is an urgent need, as continuous Pst evolution frequently leads to a breakdown of host resistance. Here, we identified a set of wheat–Dasypyrum villosum 01I139 (V#6) disomic introgression lines for the purpose of determining their responses to a mixture of Pst isolates CYR32, CYR33 and CYR34 at both seedling and adult-plant stages. The results showed that all introgression lines exhibited high susceptibility at the seedling stage, with infection-type (IT) scores in the range of 6–8, whereas, for chromosomes 5V#6 and 7V#6, disomic addition lines NAU5V#6-1 and NAU7V#6-1 displayed high resistance at the adult-plant stage, indicating that adult-plant resistance (APR) genes were located on them. Further, in order to transfer the stripe-rust resistance on chromosome 7V#6, four new wheat–D. villosum introgression lines were identified, by the use of molecular cytogenetic approaches, from the self-pollinated seeds of 7D and 7V#6, in double monosomic line NAU7V#6-2. Among them, NAU7V#6-3 and NAU7V#6-4 were t7V#6L and t7V#6S monosomic addition lines, and NAU7V#6-5 and NAU7V#6-6 were homozygous T7DS·7V#6L and T7DL·7V#6S whole-arm translocation lines. Stripe-rust tests and genetic analyses of chromosome 7V#6 introgression lines revealed a dominant APR gene designated as Yr7VS on the chromosome arm 7V#6S. Comparison with the homozygous T7DL·7V#6S translocation line and the recurrent parent NAU0686 showed no significant differences in yield-related traits. Thus, T7DL·7V#6S whole-arm translocation with the APR gene Yr7VS provided a valuable germplasm for breeding for resistance.

Lilium davidii var. unicolor is an important edible Llilium species in China. In this study, we investigated the regulatory proteins and pathways affecting bulblet development through analyzing the proteomes among three developmental stages using the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation proteomics approach. A total of 4,802 proteins were detected, 529, 735, and 637 proteins were differentially expressed between the 0 d vs 15 d, 15 d vs 30 d, 0 d vs 30 d stages, respectively. The Gene Otology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis indicated that the metabolic pathway, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and microbial metabolism in diverse environments were the most enriched pathways, which may promote energy formation and protein synthesis processes. Starch and sucrose metabolism was vital to Lilium bulblets development, and energy needed was opposite in the early and later stage of lily bulblets development. Many proteins were significantly regulated, among them LdGASA was detected as being extremely differentially expressed. We cloned the full length of LdGASA, analyzed its expression profile during lily bulblet development, and constructed its overexpression vector and transformed into Arabidopsis thaliana. The results showed that the full length of LdGASA was 725 bp, and the CDS sequence was 336 bp, LdGASA was mainly expressed at the morphogenesis and development stages of bulblets, and reached the highest at the basic morphogenesis of bulblets (35 d), Arabidopsis thaliana transformation with LdGASA presented stronger growth. These results not only deepened our understanding of the bulblets proteome, but also uncovered new insights into lily bulblet enlargement.

Powdery mildew, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt), is a serious disease that threatens wheat production globally. It is imperative to explore novel resistance genes to control this disease by developing and planting resistant varieties. Here, we identified a wheat-Dasypyrum villosum 3V (3D) disomic substitution line, NAU3815 (2n = 42), with a high level of powdery mildew resistance at both the seedling and adult-plant stages. Subsequently, NAU3815 was used to generate recombination between chromosomes 3V and 3D. Through genomic in situ hybridization (GISH), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and 3VS- and 3VL-specific markers analysis, four introgression lines were developed from the selfing progenies of 3V and 3D double monosomic line NAU3816, which was derived from the F1 hybrids of NAU3815/NAU0686. There were t3VS (3D) ditelosomic substitution line NAU3817, t3VL (3D) ditelosomic substitution line NAU3818, homozygous T3DL·3VS translocation line NAU3819, and homozygous T3DS·3VL translocation line NAU3820. Powdery mildew tests of these lines confirmed the presence of an all-stage and broad-spectrum powdery mildew resistance gene, Pm3VS, located on chromosome arm 3VS. When compared with the recurrent parent NAU0686 plants, the T3DL·3VS translocation line NAU3819 showed no obvious negative effect on yield-related traits. However, the introduction of the T3DL·3VS translocated chromosome had a strong effect on reducing the flag-leaf length. Consequently, the T3DL·3VS translocation line NAU3819 provides a new germplasm in breeding for both resistance and plant architecture.

Powdery mildew poses a significant threat to wheat crops worldwide, emphasizing the need for durable disease control strategies. The wheat- Dasypyrum villosum T5AL·5 V#4 S and T5DL·5 V#4 S translocation lines carrying powdery mildew resistant gene Pm55 shows developmental-stage and tissue-specific resistance, whereas T5DL·5 V#5 S line carrying Pm5V confers resistance at all stages. Here, we clone Pm55 and Pm5V , and reveal that they are allelic and renamed as Pm55a and Pm55b , respectively. The two Pm55 alleles encode coiled-coil, nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat (CNL) proteins, conferring broad-spectrum resistance to powdery mildew. However, they interact differently with a linked inhibitor gene, SuPm55 to cause different resistance to wheat powdery mildew. Notably, Pm55 and SuPm55 encode unrelated CNL proteins, and the inactivation of SuPm55 significantly reduces plant fitness. Combining SuPm55 / Pm55a and Pm55b in wheat does not result in allele suppression or yield penalty. Our results provide not only insights into the suppression of resistance in wheat, but also a strategy for breeding durable resistance.

The limited culinary utilizations of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum) are partly related to its very hard kernel texture, which is due to the softness genes Puroindoline a (Pina) and Puroindoline b (Pinb) on the Hardness (Ha) locus eliminated during allopolyploid formation. A previous study has reported that the softness genes Dina/Dinb, homologous to Pina/Pinb, were located on the chromosome arm 5VS of wild species Dasypyrum villosum. In the present study, we describe the process of transferring the soft grain texture from D. villosum into durum wheat through homoeologous recombination to develop a Robertsonian translocation. A durum wheat–D. villosum T5AL·5V#5S translocation line, S1286, was developed and characterized by molecular cytogenetic analysis from BC4F2 progeny of durum cv. ZY1286/D. villosum 01I140. The translocation line S1286 exhibited a soft grain texture as evidenced by observation through an electron microscope and a Single Kernel Characterization System (SKCS) hardness value of 5.5. Additionally, a newly developed 5VS/5AS co-dominant InDel marker, LW5VS-1, facilitated the transfer of the T5AL·5V#5S translocated chromosome into diverse durum wheat backgrounds. Subsequently, the T5AL·5V#5S translocated chromosome was transferred into five high-yielding durum wheat backgrounds by backcrossing and traced using marker LW5VS-1. Compared with each recurrent parent, T5AL·5V#5S lines showed good viability, similar development, and no yield penalty. Meanwhile, a significant decrease in plant height of about 6.0% was observed when comparing T5AL·5V#5S translocation lines with their recurrent parents. Accordingly, our results provide an efficient strategy for developing soft kernel durum wheat through the combination of T5AL·5V#5S translocation and the co-dominant marker LW5VS-1, which will be crucial for meeting the future challenges of sustainable agriculture and food security.

A new functional Pm21 haplotype, Pm21(8#), was cloned from the new wheat-H. villosa translocation line T6VS(8#)·6DL, which confers the same strong resistance to powdery mildew through a different resistance mechanism. Broad-spectrum disease resistance genes are desirable in crop breeding for conferring stable, durable resistance in field production. Pm21(4#) is a gene introduced from wild Haynaldia villosa into wheat that confers broad-spectrum resistance to wheat powdery mildew and has been widely used in wheat production for approximately 30 years. The discovery and transfer of new functional haplotypes of Pm21 into wheat will expand its genetic diversity in production and avoid the breakdown of resistance conferred by a single gene on a large scale. Pm21(4#) previously found from T6VS(4#)·6AL has been cloned. In this study, a new wheat-H. villosa translocation, T6VS(8#)·6DL, was identified. A new functional Pm21 haplotype, designated Pm21(8#), was cloned and characterized. The genomic structures and the splicing patterns of Pm21(4#) and Pm21(8#) were different, and widespread sequence diversity was observed in the gene coding region and the promoter region. In the field, Pm21(8#) conferred resistance to Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt), similar to Pm21(4#), indicating that Pm21(8#) was also a resistance gene. However, Bgt development during the infection stage was obviously different between Pm21(4#)- and Pm21(8#)-containing materials under the microscopic observation. Pm21(4#) inhibited the formation of haustoria and the development of hyphae in the initial infection stage, while Pm21(8#) limited the growth of hyphae and inhibited the formation of conidiophores in the late infection stage. Therefore, Pm21(8#) is a new functional Pm21 haplotype that provides a new gene resource for wheat breeding.

Wheat sharp eyespot, a stem disease caused by the soilborne fungus Rhizoctonia cerealis van der Hoeven, has become a threat to wheat production worldwide. Exploiting resistance resources from wild relatives of wheat is a promising strategy for controlling this disease. In this study, a new wheat–Dasypyrum villosum T2DS·2V#4L translocation line in the background of Chinese Spring (CS) showed stable resistance to R. cerealis. Introgression of the T2DS·2V#4L chromosome into wheat cultivar Aikang 58 by backcrossing produced a marked increase in sharp eyespot resistance in NIL-T2DS·2V#4L in comparison with NIL-T2DS·2DL, and no detrimental effects of 2V#4L on agronomic traits were observed in the BC2F2, BC2F2:3, and BC2F2:4 generations. Flow-sorted sequencing of 2V#4L yielded 384.3 Mb of assembled sequence, and 8836 genes were predicted of which 6154 had orthologs in at least one of the 2AL, 2BL, and 2DL arms of CS, whereas 1549 genes were unique to 2V#4L. About 100,000 SNPs were detected in genes of 2V#4L and 2DL in 10 sequenced bread wheat cultivars. A Kompetitive Allele Specific Polymerase chain reaction and 30 conserved ortholog sequence markers were developed to trace the 2V#4L chromatin in wheat backgrounds. T2DS·2V#4L compensating translocation lines represent novel germplasm with sharp eyespot resistance and the markers will allow rapid detection in breeding programs.

BackgroundPost cardiac injury syndrome (PCIS) is characterized by the development of pericarditis with or without pericardial effusion due to a recent cardiac injury. The relatively low incidence makes diagnosis of PCIS after implantation of a pacemaker easily be overlooked or underestimated. This report describes one typical case of PCIS.Case presentationWe present a case report of a 94-year-old male with a history of sick sinus syndrome managed with a dual-chamber pacemaker who presented with PCIS after two months of pacemaker implantation. He gradually developed chest discomfort, weakness, tachycardia and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea and cardiac tamponade after two months of pacemaker. Post-cardiac injury syndrome related to dual-chamber pacemaker implantation was considered based on exclusion of other possible causes of pericarditis. His therapy was drainage of pericardial fluid and managed with a combination of colchicine and support therapy. He was placed on long-term colchicine therapy to prevent any recurrences.ConclusionThis case illustrated that PCIS can occur after minor myocardial injury, and that the possibility of PCIS should be considered if there is a history of possible cardiac insult.

The novel wheat powdery mildew and stripe rust resistance genes Pm5V/Yr5V are introgressed from Dasypyrum villosum and fine mapped to a narrowed region in 5VS, and their effects on yield-related traits were characterized. The powdery mildew and stripe rust seriously threaten wheat production worldwide. Dasypyrum villosum (2n = 2x = 14, VV), a relative of wheat, is a valuable resource of resistance genes for wheat improvement. Here, we describe a platform for rapid introgression of the resistance genes from D. villosum into the wheat D genome. A complete set of new wheat-D. villosum V (D) disomic substitution lines and 11 D/V Robertsonian translocation lines are developed and characterized by molecular cytogenetic method. A new T5DL·5V#5S line NAU1908 shows resistance to both powdery mildew and stripe rust, and the resistances associated with 5VS are confirmed to be conferred by seedling resistance gene Pm5V and adult-plant resistance gene Yr5V, respectively. We flow-sort chromosome arm 5VS and sequence it using the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 system that allows us to generate 5VS-specific markers for genetic mapping of Pm5V/Yr5V. Fine mapping shows that Pm5V and Yr5V are closely linked and the location is narrowed to an approximately 0.9 Mb region referencing the sequence of Chinese Spring 5DS. In this region, a NLR gene in scaffold 24,874 of 5VS orthologous to TraesCS5D02G044300 is the most likely candidate gene for Pm5V. Soft- and hard-grained T5DL·5V#5S introgressions confer resistance to both powdery mildew and stripe rust in diverse wheat genetic backgrounds without yield penalty. Meanwhile, significant decrease in plant height and increase in yield were observed in NIL-5DL·5V#5S compared with that in NIL-5DL·5DS. These results indicate that Pm5V/Yr5V lines might have the potential value to facilitate wheat breeding for disease resistance.

2-Amino-3-methylhexanoic acid (AMHA) was synthetized as a non-natural amino acid more than 70 years ago; however, its possible function as an inducer of plant resistance has not been reported. Plant resistance inducers, also known as plant elicitors, are becoming a novel and important development direction in crop protection and pest management. We found that free AMHA accumulated in the mycelia but not in fermentation broths of four fungal species, Magnaporthe oryzae and three Alternaria spp. We unequivocally confirmed that AMHA is a naturally occurring endogenous (2S, 3S)-α-amino acid, based on isolation, purification and structural analyses. Further experiments demonstrated that AMHA has potent activity-enhancing resistance against extreme temperature stresses in several plant species. It is also highly active against fungal, bacterial and viral diseases by inducing plant resistance. AMHA pretreatment strongly protected wheat against powdery mildew, Arabidopsis against Pseudomonas syringae DC3000 and tobacco against Tomato spotted wilt virus. AMHA exhibits a great potential to become a unique natural elicitor protecting plants against biotic and abiotic stresses.