Genomic structural variation in an alpha/beta hydrolase triggers hybrid necrosis in wheat

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-57750-5
• Publication Date: 2025-03-18T14:48:19Z
• Authors: Yaoqi Si; Huaizhi Zhang; Shengwei Ma; Shusong Zheng; Jianqing Niu; Shuiquan Tian; Xuejia Cui; Keyu Zhu; Xiaocui Yan; Qiao Lu; Zhimeng Zhang; Tingting Du; Ping Lu; Yongxing Chen; Qiuhong Wu; Jingzhong Xie; Guanghao Guo; Mengjun Gu; Huilan Wu; Yiwen Li; Chengguo Yuan; Zaifeng Li; Zhiyong Liu; Lingli Dong; Hong-Qing Ling; Miaomiao Li
• Keywords: BETA (programming language); Alpha (finance); Variation (astronomy); Structural Variation

Hybrid necrosis, a century-old mystery in wheat, is caused by complementary genes Ne1 and Ne2. Ne2, encoding nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptor, has been cloned, yet remains elusive. Here, we report that Ne1, which encodes an alpha/beta hydrolase (ABH) protein generated structural variation, triggers hybrid necrosis with Ne2 activating autoimmune responses. We further verify not only allelic variation but also copy number (CNV) of are pivotal for diversity wheat. likely originates from wild emmer potentially through duplication ectopic recombination events. Unlike frequently selected rust resistance wheat breeding, the lower prevalence modern cultivars attributed to its association necrosis. Altogether, these findings illuminate co-evolution NLR/ABH gene pair plant development innate immunity, offering potential benefits breeding. The underlying mechanism enigmatic. Si et al. demonstrated genetic interaction between α/β (Ne1) NLR receptor (Ne2) responses, inducing