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We generated a transgenic array of 995 NLRs from 18 diverse grass species and identified 19 new NLRs that conferred resistance to stem rust: to races QTHJC and the highly virulent TTKSK from the Ug99 lineage. 6/

As a proof of concept, we used this expression signature combined with high-efficiency wheat transformation developed by Kaneka to find novel resistance to stem rust of wheat. We sourced new NLRs from diverse grass species and wild relatives of wheat. 5/

In addition, we show that the most highly expressed transcript of the NLR Rpi-amr1 is the functional version. This indicates that selecting the highest expressed transcript is a feasible approach to select functional NLRs, enabling rapid prediction of candidate NLRs just using RNAseq data. 4/

We show that the NLR Mla7 in barley is present in multiple copies in the genome and high expression is required for full resistance to both Blumeria hordei and Puccinia striiformisf. sp. tritici. This shows that NLR expression levels are important for resistance function. 3/

Here, we show that known functional NLRs are present in highly expressed NLR transcripts across monocots and dicot plant species. This expression signature is present in unchallenged plants without pathogen infection. 2/8