Identification of Rice Genes to Tag Quantitative Resistance to Sheath Blight in Rice

The goal of this project is to develop molecular tools to control rice sheath blight disease. Toward this end, a subtracted rice copy-DNA (cDNA) (only the expressed DNA) library was created to identify differentially expressed genes at the early interface between a tolerant rice cultivar ‘Jasmine 85’ and a highly virulent Rhizoctonia solani isolate. R. solani-induced message RNAs were selected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse transcribed. DNA sequences of 134 expressed sequence tags were determined and four rice genes were identified as having a role in disease resistance. They are a cell-wall associated protein kinase, a multi-drug resistance gene, a putative diterpene cyclase gene OsDTC1, and a Myb-like transcription factor. Continued functional analysis of these genes will facilitate the development of molecular markers for selecting sheath blight-resistance genes and aid in developing sheath blight-resistant cultivars for Arkansas growers.