Three previously characterized resistances to yellow rust are encoded by a single locus Wtk1 (J. Exp. Bot.)

Yellow rust is a fungal disease of wheat. Three mutants with enhanced resistance were identified in wild emmer wheat from different locations were previously mapped to the same region of chromosome 1B. Given that each locus showed a different degree of resistance, it was presumed that they were non-allelic. Klymiuk et al. have now shown that they are all encoded by a single locus, which encodes a protein kinase, Wheat Tandem Kinase 1 (WTK1). Additional studies suggest that the variability in phenotype associated with the different alleles is a consequence of the genetic background in which they were identified rather than being allele-specific. (Summary by Mary Williams) J. Exp. Bot. 10.1093/jxb/eraa020