OsJAMyb, a R2R3-type MYB transcription factor, enhanced blast resistance in transgenic rice

• Expression of OsJAMyb was highest detected in rice leaf and rapidly induced in the seedlings of blast-resistant Heikezijing.
• Overexpression of OsJAMyb showed increased resistance to blast infection.

MYB transcription factors have various regulatory roles in response to biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. In this study we identified one MYB transcription factor gene OsJAMyb from rice landrace Heikezijing, which encodes a protein with 283 amino-acid residues belonging to R2R3-type MYB transcription factor family. The expression of OsJAMyb gene was detected in the root, stem, leaf, sheath, immature panicle and flowering panicle of rice, with highest expression in the leaf. After inoculation with the blast isolate Hoku1, the expression of OsJAMyb was more rapidly and strongly induced in the seedlings of blast-resistant Heikezijing compared with that in the blast-susceptible landrace Suyunuo. The OsJAMyb overexpressing transgenic lines (T3 generation) in Suyunuo showed increased resistance to blast infection with less lesion number in inoculated leaves compared with non-transgenic control plants. The results indicate that OsJAMyb might be involved in the resistance to blast infection in rice.