Development of a PVY Resistant Flue-Cured Tobacco Line via EMS Mutagenesis of eIF4E

Recessive resistance against potyviruses, such as Potato virus Y (PVY), relies on mutations in the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) or one of its isoforms. The eIF4E1-S mutants of burley tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) exhibit recessive resistance against PVY strains. Here, we developed a TILLING population of flue-cured tobacco (N. tabacum cv. Yunyan87) using ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) to identify eIF4E1-S mutants. M3 plants homozygous for a nonsense mutation in exon 1 of the eIF4E1-S gene demonstrated resistance against PVYMN. These M3 plants were backcrossed to ‘Yunyan87’, and BC4F3 plants were screened using derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (dCAPS) markers. BC4F3 plants showing agronomic traits comparable to the recurrent parent ‘Yunyan87’ and resistance against PVYO, PVYN, and PVYNTN strains were identified. These genotypes would provide useful germplasm for future tobacco improvement and would aid in basic research on PVY resistance in flue-cured tobacco.