Alien Chromatin from Hordeeae Grasses Enhances the Compatibility of <i>Epichloë</i> Endophyte Symbiosis with the Hexaploid Wheat <i>Triticum aestivum</i>

oleh: Wayne R. Simpson, Hisashi Tsujimoto, David E. Hume, Richard D. Johnson

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2024-05-01

Deskripsi

The inoculation of <i>Epichloë</i> endophytes into modern cereals, resulting in systemic infection, depends on the genetics of both the host and the endophyte strain deployed. Until very recently, the only modern cereal to have been infected with <i>Epichloë</i>, in which normal phenotype seed-transmitted associations were achieved, is rye (<i>Secale cereale</i>). Whilst minor in-roads have been achieved in infecting hexaploid wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i>), the phenotypes of these associations have all been extremely poor, including host death and stunting. To identify host genetic factors that may impact the compatibility of <i>Epichloë</i> infection in wheat, wheat–alien chromosome addition/substitution lines were inoculated with <i>Epichloë</i>, and the phenotypes of infected plants were assessed. Symbioses were identified whereby infected wheat plants were phenotypically like uninfected controls. These plants completed their full lifecycle, including the vertical transmission of <i>Epichloë</i> into the next generation of grain, and represent the first ever compatible wheat–<i>Epichloë</i> associations to be created.