A lineage-specific Exo70 is required for receptor kinase-mediated immunity in barley.

In the evolution of land plants, the plant immune system has experienced expansion in immune receptor and signaling pathways. Lineage-specific expansions have been observed in diverse gene families that are potentially involved in immunity but lack causal association. Here, we show that Rps8 -mediated resistance in barley to the pathogen Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (wheat stripe rust) is conferred by a genetic module: Pur1 and Exo70FX12 , which are together necessary and sufficient. Pur1 encodes a leucine-rich repeat receptor kinase and is the ortholog of rice Xa21 , and Exo70FX12 belongs to the Poales-specific Exo70FX clade. The Exo70FX clade emerged after the divergence of the Bromeliaceae and Poaceae and comprises from 2 to 75 members in sequenced grasses. These results demonstrate the requirement of a lineage-specific Exo70FX12 in Pur1-mediated immunity and suggest that the Exo70FX clade may have evolved a specialized role in receptor kinase signaling.