Siting Wang: College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.
Qian Sun: College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.
Shuo Yang: College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.
Huan Chen: College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.
Depeng Yuan: State Key Laboratory of Elemento-Organic Chemistry and Department of Plant Protection, National Pesticide Engineering Research Center (Tianjin), Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
Hongyao Zhu: College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.
Yue Gao: College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China. ORCID
Xiaofeng Zhu: College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China. ORCID
Yuanhu Xuan: State Key Laboratory of Elemento-Organic Chemistry and Department of Plant Protection, National Pesticide Engineering Research Center (Tianjin), Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China. ORCID
Sheath blight (ShB) causes severe yield loss in rice. Previously, we demonstrated that the () mutation significantly improved rice resistance to ShB, but it caused severe defects in seed development. The present study found that WRKY36 and PIL15 directly activate to negatively regulate ShB. Interestingly, WRKY36 interacted with PIL15, WRKY36 and PIL15 directly activates to negatively regulate seed development. WRKY36 interacted with a key BR signaling transcription factor WRKY53. AOS2 is an effector protein from () that interacts with WRKY53. Interestingly, AOS2 also interacts with WRKY36 and PIL15 to activate for sugar nutrition for . These data collectively suggest that WRKY36-PIL15 negatively regulates ShB resistance and seed development via the activation of and , respectively. In addition, WRKY36 and PIL15 are the partners of the effector protein AOS2 by which hijacks sugar nutrition from rice.
