Identification of FERONIA-like receptor genes involved in rice-Magnaporthe oryzae interaction

The receptor-like kinase (RLK) FERONIA functions in immunity in Arabidopsis. Here, we systemically screened rice RLK genes encoding FERONIA-like receptor (FLRs) that may be involved in rice-Magnaporthe oryzae interaction. The expression of 16 FLR genes was examined in response to the infection of M. oryzae in different rice varieties. For each FLR gene, at least two independent mutants were generated by CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology in rice variety Zhonghua 11 (ZH11). Blast disease assay identified that the mutants of FLR1 and FLR13 showed increased susceptibility, whereas the mutants of FLR2 and FLR11 displayed enhanced resistance. Consistently, the mutant of FLR1 enhanced, but the mutant of FLR2 delayed the M. oryzae infection progress, which might be associated with the altered expression of defense-related genes. Together, these data indicate that at least 4 FLR genes are involved in rice-M. oryzae interaction and thus are potentially valuable in blast disease resistance.