Natural variation of <i>OsGATA16</i> contributes to differential immunity against <i>Magnaporthe oryzae</i> in rice

Hongjia Zhang; Zhao Li; Hong Li; Yan Liu; Baoshuai Zhang; Sudi Li; Lei Zhang; Jiawei Zhao; Weiwei Zou; Yuxin Tu; Bin Hu; Chengcai Chu; Xinglin Du; Wenzhu Jiang; Soon-Wook Kwon; Zhihua Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.jgg.2026.04.007

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Natural variation of OsGATA16 contributes to differential immunity against Magnaporthe oryzae in rice

doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2026.04.007

a. Jilin Province Engineering Laboratory of Plant Genetic Improvement, College of Plant Science, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130062, China;
b. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops of Jiangsu Province, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China;
c. Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Precise Breeding of Future Crops, and Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory for Enhancing Resource Use Efficiency of Crops in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Agriculture, South China Agriculture University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510642, China;
d. College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China;
e. Department of Plant Bioscience, Pusan National University, Miryang 50463, Republic of Korea

Funds:

We thank Zhuo Chen from Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University for helpful discussion in GWAS and haplotype analysis. This work was supported by the National Key R&

D Program of China (No. 2024YFD1201003), Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31901434), Budgetary Investment in Capital Construction of Jilin Province (2024C014-7), National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. RS-2024-00391988), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2024M752718), Jiangsu excellent postdoctoral program (2024ZB441).

Received Date: 2025-12-05
Accepted Date: 2026-04-12
Rev Recd Date: 2026-04-10

Available Online: 2026-04-18

Abstract

Abstract

Rice blast, caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, constitutes a critical threat to global rice production. Leveraging functional genes from germplasm resources to breed resistant varieties remains the most effective and sustainable strategy for blast control. Here, we identify a GATA transcription factor OsGATA16 as a candidate regulator of blast resistance by genome-wide association study (GWAS) using a diverse rice germplasm panel. Functional analysis shows that OsGATA16 overexpression significantly reduces blast resistance, whereas knockout lines exhibit enhanced resistance, establishing OsGATA16 as a negative regulator of rice immunity. Transcriptome, qRT-PCR, dual-luciferase, and DAP-seq assays reveal that OsGATA16 directly represses diterpenoid biosynthetic genes. UPLC-MS/MS reveals increased accumulation of pimarane-type diterpenoids in osgata16 mutants. Further analysis indicates that the key pimarane-type diterpenoid abietic acid promotes blast resistance but compromises cold tolerance. Given OsGATA16’s known role in cold tolerance, haplotype analysis of 137 core-collection rice accessions uncovers a trade-off between blast resistance and cold tolerance. The japonica-dominant Hap1, featuring key residues Val292 and Gly333, shows stronger transcriptional repression activity than indica Hap2, with population genetics supporting divergent allele selection. Collectively, OsGATA16 negatively regulates blast resistance by repressing pimarane-type diterpenoid biosynthesis, serving as a valuable target for breeding dual stress-resilient rice.
- OsGATA16,
- diterpenoid,
- immunity,
- Magnaporthe oryzae,
- rice

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