Resistance to Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) in tomato: molecular mapping and introgression of resistance to Australian genotypes
Authors: Levin Ilan , Thomas John , Lapidot Moshe , McGrath Desmond , Persley Denis 
Published: January 2022

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is one of the most devastating viruses of cultivated tomatoes. Although first identified in the Mediterranean region, it is now distributed world-wide. Sequence analysis of the virus by the Australian group has shown that the virus is now present in Australia. Despite the importance of the disease and extensive research on the virus, very little is known about the resistance genes (loci) that determine host resistance and susceptibility to the virus. A symptom-less resistant line, TY-172, was developed at the Volcani Center which has shown the highest resistance level among all tested varieties. Preliminary results show that TY-172 is a good candidate to confer resistance to both TYLCV and to Tomato leaf curl virus (ToLCV) in Queensland conditions. Furthermore, Segregation analysis has previously indicated that the resistance is determined by 2-3 genes. In this proposal we aimed to substantiate that TY-172 can contribute to resistance breeding against TYLCV in Queensland, to develop DNA markers to advance such resistance breeding in both Israel and Queensland, and to exploit these markers for resistant breeding in Australian and Israeli lines. To map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling TYLCVresistance in TY172, appropriate segregating populations were analyzed using 69 polymorphic DNA markers spanning the entire tomato genome. Results show that TYLCV resistance in TY172 is controlled by a previously unknown major QTL, originating from the resistant line, and four additional minor QTLs. The major QTL, termed Ty-5, maps to chromosome 4 and accounts for 39.7-to-46.6% of the variation in symptom severity among segregating plants (LOD score: 33-to-35). The minor QTLs, originated either from the resistant or susceptible parents, were mapped to chromosomes 1, 7, 9 and 11, and contributed 12% to the variation in symptom severity in addition to Ty-5. Further analysis of parental lines as well as large F₁, BC₁F₁, F₂ and BC₁F₂ populations originating from crosses carried out, in reciprocal manner, between TY172 and the susceptible processing line M-82 (LA3475) during spring-summer 2010, indicated that: (1) the minor QTLs we have previously identified are in effect not reproducible, (2)Ty-5 alone can yield highly resistant plants with practically no extra-chromosomal effects, and (3) the narrow-sense heritability estimate of resistance levels, attributed to additive factors responsive to selection, does not significantly deviate from 1. All of these results point to Ty-5 as the sole resistance locus in TY172 thus significantly increasing the likelihood of its successful molecular dissection. The DNA markers developed during the course of this study were transferred together with the TY172 genotype to Queensland. TY172 was crossed to a panel of Australian genotypes and the resulting populations were subjected to segregation analysis. Results showed that resistant locus, Ty-5, is highly reproducible in the Australian conditions as well. The Australian group was also able to make improvements to the marker assays by re-designing primer pairs to provide more robust PCR fragments. The Ty-5 locus has now been introgressed into elite Australian germplasm and selection for TYLCV resistance has begun. Cumulatively, our results show that Ty-5 can be effectively used, together with the TY172 genotype to expedite TYLCV resistance breeding and improve our understanding of the genetics that underline the response of tomato to TYLCV. Contributions to agriculture include: (1) the development of tools for more efficient resistance breeding, allowing the incorporation of resistance to local tomato varieties in Australia, Israel and elsewhere; and (2) establish a solid framework for a future attempt to clone the genes that encode such resistance. The latter will enable to decipher the resistance mechanisms that could be applied to other geminiviruses in tomato and possibly in other plant species.