Sol<it>R</it>gene: an online database to explore disease resistance genes in tuber-bearing <it>Solanum </it>species

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The cultivated potato (<it>Solanum tuberosum </it>L.) is an important food crop, but highly susceptible to many pathogens. The major threat to potato production is the Irish famine pathogen <it>Phytophthora infestans</it>, which causes the devastating late blight disease. Potato breeding makes use of germplasm from wild relatives (wild germplasm) to introduce resistances into cultivated potato. The <it>Solanum </it>section <it>Petota </it>comprises tuber-bearing species that are potential donors of new disease resistance genes. The aim of this study was to explore <it>Solanum </it>section <it>Petota </it>for resistance genes and generate a widely accessible resource that is useful for studying and implementing disease resistance in potato.</p> <p>Description</p> <p>The Sol<it>R</it>gene database contains data on resistance to <it>P. infestans </it>and presence of <it>R </it>genes and <it>R </it>gene homologues in <it>Solanum </it>section <it>Petota</it>. We have explored <it>Solanum </it>section <it>Petota </it>for resistance to late blight in high throughput disease tests under various laboratory conditions and in field trials. From resistant wild germplasm, segregating populations were generated and assessed for the presence of resistance genes. All these data have been entered into the Sol<it>R</it>gene database. To facilitate genetic and resistance gene evolution studies, phylogenetic data of the entire Sol<it>R</it>gene collection are included, as well as a tool for generating phylogenetic trees of selected groups of germplasm. Data from resistance gene allele-mining studies are incorporated, which enables detection of <it>R </it>gene homologs in related germplasm. Using these resources, various resistance genes have been detected and some of these have been cloned, whereas others are in the cloning pipeline. All this information is stored in the online Sol<it>R</it>gene database, which allows users to query resistance data, sequences, passport data of the accessions, and phylogenic classifications.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p><it>Solanum </it>section <it>Petota </it>forms the basis of the Sol<it>R</it>gene database, which contains a collection of resistance data of an unprecedented size and precision. Complemented with <it>R </it>gene sequence data and phylogenetic tools, Sol<it>R</it>gene can be considered the primary resource for information on <it>R </it>genes from potato and wild tuber-bearing relatives.</p>