Identification of a novel NPR1 homolog gene, OsNH5N16, which contributes to broad-spectrum resistance in rice

Abstract Over half of the earth’s population consumes rice as the primary food crop for dietary calories. However, severe loss of rice yield occurs due to bacterial blight caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) and bakanae disease caused by Fusarium fujikuroi (F. fujikuroi). Therefore, broad-spectrum resistance (BSR) to these pathogens is essential for rice cultivation. The Nonexpressor of Pathogenesis-Related Genes1 (NPR1), which is related to the signal molecule salicylic acid (SA) and the expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes, is a key regulator of systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Although five NPR1 homologs (NHs) have been identified in rice thus far, their cellular and biological functions remain largely unexplored. In this study, we identified a novel rice NH gene from Oryza sativa L. cv. Dongjin. The genetic variation of single nucleotide polymorphisms in OsNH5 caused a single amino acid substitution of asparagine for serine at residue 16. OsNH5N16 was mainly located in the nucleus, and its transcription was induced by Xoo. We generated transgenic rice lines constitutively expressing OsNH5N16 to investigate its function. Plants that overexpressed OsNH5N16 displayed enhanced BSR to Xoo and F. fujikuroi compared with wild varieties, and the transcription of PR genes such as OsPR1, GLUC, and CHIT2 was considerably upregulated. Moreover, we revealed that SA increases the transcription of OsNH5N16 and the promoter activity of OsPR1 regulated by OsNH5N16. These results showed that OsNH5N16 enhances BSR by regulating the expression of PR genes related to SAR and it is controlled by SA at the transcriptional and post-translational levels. This is the first report on the innate immune response conferring BSR associated with NH5.