TMV resistance gene N homologues are linked to Synchytrium endobioticum resistance in potato

The fungus Synchytrium endobioticum, the causal agent of potato wart disease, is subject to worldwide quarantine regulations due to the production of persistent resting spores and lack of effective chemical control measures. The selection of Synchytrium-resistant potato cultivars may be facilitated by using markers closely linked with a resistance gene or by transferring a cloned gene for resistance into susceptible cultivars. Sen1, a gene for resistance to Synchytrium endobioticum race 1, was localized on potato chromosome XI in a genomic region which is related to the tobacco genome segment harbouring the N gene for resistance to TMV. Using N as probe, we isolated homologous cDNA clones from a Synchytrium-resistant potato line. The N-homologous sequences of potato identified by RFLP mapping a family of resistance gene-like sequences closely linked with the Sen1 locus. Sequence analysis of two full-length N-homologous cDNA clones revealed the presence of structural domains associated with resistance gene function. One clone (N1-25) encodes a polypeptide of 61 kDa and harbours a Toll-interleukin like region (TIR) and a putative nucleotide binding site (NBS). The other clone (N1-27) encodes a polypeptide of 95 kDa and harbours besides the TIR and NBS domains five imperfect leucine-rich repeats (LRRs). Both clones have at their amino terminus a conserved stretch of serine residues that was also found in the N gene, the RPP5 gene from Arabidopsis thaliana and several other resistance gene homologues, suggesting a function in the resistance response. Cloning of the disease resistance locus based on map position and the establishment of PCR-based marker assays to assist selection of wart resistant potato genotypes are discussed.