Phased grapevine genome sequence of an Rpv12 carrier for biotechnological exploration of resistance to Plasmopara viticola

The downy mildew disease caused by the oomycete Plasmopara viticola is a serious threat for grapevine and can cause enormous yield losses in viticulture. The quantitative trait locus Rpv12, mediating resistance against P. viticola , was originally found in Asian Vitis amurensis . This locus and its genes were analyzed here in detail. A haplotype-separated genome sequence of the diploid Rpv12 -carrier Gf.99-03 was created and annotated. The defense response against P. viticola was investigated in an infection time-course RNA-Seq experiment, revealing approximately 600 up-regulated Vitis genes during host-pathogen interaction. The Rpv12 regions of the resistance conferring and the sensitivity encoding Gf.99-03 haplotypes were structurally and functionally compared to each other. Two different clusters of resistance-related genes were identified within the Rpv12 locus. One cluster carries a set of four differentially expressed genes with three ACCELERATED CELL DEATH 6 -like genes. The other cluster carries a set of six resistance gene analogues related to qualitative pathogen resistance. The Rpv12 locus and its candidate genes for P. viticola resistance provide a precious genetic resource for P. viticola resistance breeding. Newly developed co-segregating simple sequence repeat markers in close proximity to the R -genes enable its improved applicability in marker-assisted grapevine breeding. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.