Wheat stripe rust disease, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is a threat to global wheat production. The molecular identification of resistance genes is essential for enabling efficient deployment to combat yield losses to disease. The wheat stripe rust resistance gene, Yr10, was originally identified in Turkish wheat landrace PI 178383 and deployed into US germplasm in the 1960s.

Although defined by a unique array of responses to multiple Pst isolates, the molecular identification of the causative gene of Yr10 has been elusive and controversial. Candidate genes previously proposed include a canonical resistance gene of the CC-NBS-LRR gene family, and more recently a NAM-ZnF-BED domain gene. Here, we present sequence analysis and disease resistance phenotyping in mutants generated in a universal reference Yr10 stock, Avocet S + Yr10, to confirm that Yr10 is encoded by the NAM-ZnF-BED domain gene YrNAM.

An agreed simplification of the separate gene identities, YrNAM and Yr10, conferring a common specificity to a single Yr10 designation will benefit the wider cereal research community. We also draw parallels between YrNAM and the recently described, structurally-similar barley leaf rust resistance gene Rph7, and propose this new R gene class be designated as Triticeae NAC-BED domain (TNB) proteins.