Resistance gene analogues are clustered on chromosome 3 of sugar beet and cosegregate with QTL for rhizomania resistance

Worldwide, rhizomania is the most important disease of sugar beet. The only way to control this disease is to use resistant varieties. Four full-length resistance gene analogues (RGAs) from sugar beet (cZR-1, cZR-3, cZR-7, and cZR-9) were used in this study. Their predicted polypeptides carry typical nucleotide-binding sites (NBSs) and leucin-rich repeat (LRR) regions, and share high homology to various plant virus resistance genes. Their corresponding alleles were cloned and sequenced from a rhizomania resistant genotype. The 4 RGAs were mapped as molecular markers, using sequence-specific primers to determine their linkage to the rhizomania resistance locus Rz1 in a population segregating for rhizomania resistance. One cZR-3 allele, named Rz-C, together with 5 other molecular markers, mapped to the Rz1 locus on chromosome 3 and cosegregated with quantitative trait loci for rhizomania resistance. After screening a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library, 25 cZR-3-positive BACs were identified. Of these, 15 mapped within an interval of approximately 14 cM on chromosome 3, in clusters close to the Rz1 locus. Rz-C differentiates between susceptible and resistant beet varieties, and its transcripts could be detected in all rhizomania resistant varieties investigated. The potential of this RGA marker for cloning of rhizomania resistance genes is discussed.