Overexpression of wheat spermidine synthase gene enhances wheat resistance to Fusarium head blight

Abstract

Polyamines, such as putrescine, spermidine, and spermine, are crucial for plant defense against both abiotic and biotic stresses. Putrescine is also known as a significant inducer of deoxynivalenol (DON) production in Fusarium graminearum, the primary causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB). However, the impact of other polyamines on DON production and whether modifying polyamine biosynthesis could improve wheat resistance to FHB are currently unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that key precursor components of putrescine synthesis, including arginine, ornithine, and agmatine, can induce DON production, albeit to a lesser extent than putrescine in trichothecene biosynthesis-inducing (TBI) culture under the same total nitrogen conditions. Intriguingly, spermidine and spermine, downstream products of putrescine in the polyamine biosynthesis pathway, do not induce DON production under the same conditions. Additionally, externally applying either spermidine or spermine to wheat heads significantly reduces the diseased spikelet number caused by F. graminearum. Furthermore, our results show that overexpression of the wheat spermidine synthase (SPDS) gene TaSPDS-7D1 significantly enhances the spermidine content and wheat resistance to FHB. In addition, the TaSPDS-7D1-overexpressing line OE3 exhibited a 1000-grain weight and plant height increase compared to the wild type. Our findings reveal that overexpression of the spermidine synthase gene can enhance wheat resistance to FHB without compromising wheat yield.