Beat Keller

Beat Keller
Born (1958-09-14) 14 September 1958 (age 68)
Interlaken, Switzerland
Known fordisease resistance in cereals, wheat genome sequencing
Scientific career
Fieldsmolecular biology, botany, wheat
WorkplacesUniversity of Zurich

Beat Keller (born 14 September 1958) is a Swiss molecular biologist and professor emeritus of plant molecular biology at the University of Zurich. He is known for his research on the molecular basis of disease resistance in cereals, including the isolation of the durable wheat resistance gene Lr34, and for his role in the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium, which produced a fully annotated reference genome of bread wheat. He is a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and a foreign fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences of India, and was elected a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in 2022.

Early life and education

Keller was born in Interlaken, Switzerland. He studied biology at the University of Basel from 1978 to 1982 and received his doctorate there in 1985. During his doctoral studies he published research on the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4, including the identification of gene 68, which encodes a prohead core protein involved in determining the size of the phage head.

Career

In 1986 he continued his training as a molecular biologist with an EMBO Long-Term Fellowship at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego, where he worked in the plant biology research group of Christopher John Lamb until 1989, studying glycine-rich and hydroxyproline-rich structural proteins of the plant cell wall.

In 1989 Keller returned to Switzerland and became leader of a plant biotechnology group at the Swiss Federal Research Station for Agronomy (today Agroscope), a position he held until 1997. In 1995 he completed his habilitation at ETH Zurich, where he lectured until 1997, and in 1997 he accepted an appointment as full professor of plant molecular biology and molecular phytopathology at the University of Zurich.

From 1998 to 2014 he was director of the university's Department of Plant and Microbial Biology. He became professor emeritus after his retirement in 2025.

Academic service

Keller was vice president of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) from 2001 to 2006. He initiated the University of Zurich's University Research Priority Program "Evolution in Action: From Genomes to Ecosystems", which ran for twelve years until 2024, and served as one of its co-directors. From 2014 to 2022 he was a member of the Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation, responsible for plant sciences.

Keller was a member of the executive committee of the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) from 2006 to 2018 and stepped down from its board of directors in 2018. He has also served as an editor of the journal Theoretical and Applied Genetics.

Research

Keller's research focuses on the molecular basis of disease resistance in the cereals wheat, maize, barley and rye, in particular on genes that encode immune receptors recognising fungal pathogens, and on the evolution of the pathogens themselves. From 2010 to 2015 this work was supported by an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council.

Resistance genes in wheat, rye and maize

His group was among the first to isolate fungal disease resistance genes from the large, polyploid genome of bread wheat, cloning the leaf rust resistance gene Lr10 by map-based cloning in 2003 and the powdery mildew resistance gene Pm3b in 2004. By screening wheat gene bank collections, the group later identified previously undescribed functional alleles of Pm3. It also isolated the powdery mildew resistance gene Pm8, which was introduced into wheat from rye, and showed that it is the rye counterpart (orthologue) of the wheat Pm3 gene.

In maize, the group showed that Htn1, a gene conferring quantitative resistance to northern corn leaf blight, encodes a wall-associated receptor-like kinase. In 2021 it identified further wheat resistance genes, including Pm4 against powdery mildew, which functions through alternatively spliced transcripts encoding chimeric proteins, and Lr14a against leaf rust, which encodes a membrane-bound ankyrin-repeat protein. Keller also contributed to a population genomic study of Aegilops tauschii, the wild progenitor of the D subgenome of bread wheat, which identified candidate genes for disease and pest resistance.

The durable resistance gene Lr34

Keller's group, with collaborators, isolated Lr34, a gene that provides durable resistance against leaf rust, stripe rust and powdery mildew, has remained effective for more than 50 years, and is present in wheat cultivars around the world. The gene encodes a protein resembling ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters. Later work showed that Lr34 remains functional when transferred as a transgene into other major cereals, including barley, rice, maize and sorghum, and identified the plant hormone abscisic acid as a substrate of the LR34 transporter.

Field trials with genetically modified wheat and barley

Resistance genes isolated by the group were also tested in field trials of genetically modified wheat and barley. In wheat, combining (pyramiding) transgenic immune receptors from different wheat gene pools improved powdery mildew resistance in the field over three seasons. In barley, transgenic lines with high expression of the wheat gene Lr34 showed complete resistance against barley leaf rust and powdery mildew in the field.

Evolution of the powdery mildew pathogen

In complementary research directions, Keller and colleagues have studied how the powdery mildew pathogen adapts to its hosts. They identified avirulence genes of the fungus that are recognised by the wheat Pm3 immune receptors, and showed that hybridisation between the wheat and rye forms of the pathogen gave rise to a new form able to infect triticale. Further studies showed how variation in the mildew genes AvrPm17 and AvrPm8 allowed the pathogen to overcome the rye-derived resistance genes Pm17 and Pm8 used in wheat breeding.

Recent work from his group has further clarified how wheat immune receptors recognise mildew effectors and how the pathogen escapes them. The group showed that the broad-spectrum resistance protein Pm3e recognises two structurally unrelated mildew effectors, and that its recognition range can be extended by engineering Pm3 immune receptors. It identified AvrPm4, the mildew effector recognised by the wheat kinase fusion protein Pm4, and found that the fungus can overcome Pm4 resistance without altering AvrPm4, through a second effector, SvrPm4, that suppresses its recognition while itself being recognised by another wheat resistance protein. The group also identified AvrWTK4, the RNase-like effector recognised by the wheat tandem kinase protein WTK4, whose integrated HMA-like domain appears to act as a direct effector-binding decoy.

Wheat genome sequencing

The work on the wheat genome within the framework of the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium led to the production of the reference sequence IWGSC RefSeq v1.0, a fully annotated reference genome of the bread wheat cultivar Chinese Spring, published in Science in 2018. On his departure from its board, the consortium credited Keller's leadership as essential to achieving the reference sequence of bread wheat. He received the IWGSC Outstanding Leadership Award for 2016.

In 2023 Keller delivered the Biffen Lecture at the John Innes Centre, under the title "From the field, to the field: molecular characterization and breeding application of wheat resistance to fungal diseases".

Honours and memberships

Selected publications

References

  1. 1 2 "Emeriti". Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zurich. Retrieved 15 October 2026.
  2. 1 2 Krattinger, S. G.; Lagudah, E. S.; Spielmeyer, W.; Singh, R. P.; Huerta-Espino, J.; McFadden, H.; Bossolini, E.; Selter, L. L.; Keller, B. (2009). "A putative ABC transporter confers durable resistance to multiple fungal pathogens in wheat" (PDF). Science. 323 (5919): 1360–1363. Bibcode:2009Sci...323.1360K. doi:10.1126/science.1166453. PMID 19229000.
  3. 1 2 International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) (2018). "Shifting the limits in wheat research and breeding using a fully annotated reference genome". Science. 361 (6403) eaar7191. doi:10.1126/science.aar7191. PMID 30115783.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 "Dr. Beat Keller – Foreign Fellow, elected 2022". National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India. Retrieved 15 October 2026.
  5. 1 2 "EMBO elects 67 new members and associate members". European Molecular Biology Organization. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
  6. ↑ Keller, B.; Sengstag, C.; Kellenberger, E.; Bickle, T. A. (1984). "Gene 68, a new bacteriophage T4 gene which codes for the 17K prohead core protein is involved in head size determination". Journal of Molecular Biology. 179 (3): 415–430. doi:10.1016/0022-2836(84)90073-1. PMID 6512858.
  7. ↑ Keller, B.; Sauer, N.; Lamb, C. J. (1988). "Glycine-rich cell wall proteins in bean: gene structure and association of the protein with the vascular system". The EMBO Journal. 7 (12): 3625–3633. Bibcode:1988EMBO....7.3625K. doi:10.1002/j.1460-2075.1988.tb03243.x. PMC 454934. PMID 3208742.
  8. ↑ Keller, B.; Lamb, C. J. (1989). "Specific expression of a novel cell wall hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein gene in lateral root initiation". Genes & Development. 3 (10): 1639–1646. doi:10.1101/gad.3.10.1639. PMID 2612909.
  9. 1 2 "How wheat protects itself from fungi". University of Zurich. 12 January 2026. Retrieved 18 October 2026 – via EurekAlert!.
  10. ↑ Stöcklin, S. (2024). "UZH is a leader in evolutionary biology research". UZH News (Interview with Beat Keller). University of Zurich. Retrieved 15 October 2026.
  11. ↑ "SNSF Research Council: president of division and five new members elected". Swiss National Science Foundation. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2026.
  12. ↑ "Research Council: two new members elected". Swiss National Science Foundation. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Wheat Sequencing Consortium Announces New Appointments to Board of Directors". International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2026 – via Newswise.
  14. ↑ Feuillet, C.; Travella, S.; Stein, N.; Albar, L.; Nublat, A.; Keller, B. (2003). "Map-based isolation of the leaf rust disease resistance gene Lr10 from the hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genome". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 100 (25): 15253–15258. Bibcode:2003PNAS..10015253F. doi:10.1073/pnas.2435133100. PMC 299976. PMID 14645721.
  15. ↑ Yahiaoui, N.; Srichumpa, P.; Dudler, R.; Keller, B. (2004). "Genome analysis at different ploidy levels allows cloning of the powdery mildew resistance gene Pm3b from hexaploid wheat". The Plant Journal. 37 (4): 528–538. Bibcode:2004PlJ....37..528Y. doi:10.1046/j.1365-313X.2003.01977.x. PMID 14756761.
  16. ↑ Bhullar, N. K.; Street, K.; Mackay, M.; Yahiaoui, N.; Keller, B. (2009). "Unlocking wheat genetic resources for the molecular identification of previously undescribed functional alleles at the Pm3 resistance locus". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 106 (23): 9519–9524. Bibcode:2009PNAS..106.9519B. doi:10.1073/pnas.0904152106. PMC 2686639. PMID 19470492.
  17. ↑ Hurni, S.; Brunner, S.; Buchmann, G.; Herren, G.; Jordan, T.; Krukowski, P.; Wicker, T.; Yahiaoui, N.; Mago, R.; Keller, B. (2013). "Rye Pm8 and wheat Pm3 are orthologous genes and show evolutionary conservation of resistance function against powdery mildew". The Plant Journal. 76 (6): 957–969. Bibcode:2013PlJ....76..957H. doi:10.1111/tpj.12345. PMID 24124925.
  18. ↑ Hurni, S.; Scheuermann, D.; Krattinger, S. G.; Kessel, B.; Wicker, T.; Herren, G.; Fitze, M. N.; Breen, J.; Presterl, T.; Ouzunova, M.; Keller, B. (2015). "The maize disease resistance gene Htn1 against northern corn leaf blight encodes a wall-associated receptor-like kinase". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 112 (28): 8780–8785. Bibcode:2015PNAS..112.8780H. doi:10.1073/pnas.1502522112. PMC 4507197. PMID 26124097.
  19. ↑ Sánchez-Martín, J.; Widrig, V.; Herren, G.; Wicker, T.; Zbinden, H.; Gronnier, J.; Spörri, L.; Praz, C. R.; Heuberger, M.; Kolodziej, M. C.; Isaksson, J.; Steuernagel, B.; Karafiátová, M.; Doležel, J.; Zipfel, C.; Keller, B. (2021). "Wheat Pm4 resistance to powdery mildew is controlled by alternative splice variants encoding chimeric proteins". Nature Plants. 7 (3): 327–341. Bibcode:2021NatPl...7..327S. doi:10.1038/s41477-021-00869-2. PMC 7610370. PMID 33707738.
  20. ↑ Kolodziej, M. C.; Singla, J.; Sánchez-Martín, J.; Zbinden, H.; Šimková, H.; Karafiátová, M.; Doležel, J.; Gronnier, J.; Poretti, M.; Glauser, G.; Zhu, W.; Köster, P.; Zipfel, C.; Wicker, T.; Krattinger, S. G.; Keller, B. (2021). "A membrane-bound ankyrin repeat protein confers race-specific leaf rust disease resistance in wheat". Nature Communications. 12 (1): 956. Bibcode:2021NatCo..12..956K. doi:10.1038/s41467-020-20777-x. PMC 7878491. PMID 33574268.
  21. ↑ Gaurav, K.; Arora, S.; Silva, P.; Sánchez-Martín, J.; Horsnell, R.; et al. (2022). "Population genomic analysis of Aegilops tauschii identifies targets for bread wheat improvement". Nature Biotechnology. 40 (3): 422–431. doi:10.1038/s41587-021-01058-4. PMC 8926922. PMID 34725503.
  22. ↑ Krattinger, S. G.; Kang, J.; Bräunlich, S.; Boni, R.; Chauhan, H.; Selter, L. L.; Robinson, M. D.; Schmid, M. W.; Wiederhold, E.; Hensel, G.; Kumlehn, J.; Sucher, J.; Martinoia, E.; Keller, B. (2019). "Abscisic acid is a substrate of the ABC transporter encoded by the durable wheat disease resistance gene Lr34". New Phytologist. 223 (2): 853–866. Bibcode:2019NewPh.223..853K. doi:10.1111/nph.15815. PMC 6618152. PMID 30913300.
  23. ↑ Koller, T.; Camenzind, M.; Jung, E.; Brunner, S.; Herren, G.; Armbruster, C.; Keller, B. (2024). "Pyramiding of transgenic immune receptors from primary and tertiary wheat gene pools improves powdery mildew resistance in the field". Journal of Experimental Botany. 75 (7): 1872–1886. doi:10.1093/jxb/erad493. PMC 10967238. PMID 38071644.
  24. ↑ Bräunlich, S.; Koller, T.; Glauser, G.; Krattinger, S. G.; Keller, B. (2021). "Expression of the wheat disease resistance gene Lr34 in transgenic barley leads to accumulation of abscisic acid at the leaf tip". Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. 166: 950–957. Bibcode:2021PlPB..166..950B. doi:10.1016/j.plaphy.2021.07.001. PMID 34247109.
  25. ↑ Bourras, S.; McNally, K. E.; Ben-David, R.; Parlange, F.; Roffler, S.; Praz, C. R.; et al. (2015). "Multiple avirulence loci and allele-specific effector recognition control the Pm3 race-specific resistance of wheat to powdery mildew". The Plant Cell. 27 (10): 2991–3012. doi:10.1105/tpc.15.00171. PMC 4682313. PMID 26452600.
  26. ↑ Bourras, S.; Kunz, L.; Xue, M.; Praz, C. R.; Müller, M. C.; Kälin, C.; et al. (2019). "The AvrPm3-Pm3 effector-NLR interactions control both race-specific resistance and host-specificity of cereal mildews on wheat". Nature Communications. 10 (1): 2292. Bibcode:2019NatCo..10.2292B. doi:10.1038/s41467-019-10274-1. PMC 6533294. PMID 31123263.
  27. ↑ Menardo, F.; Praz, C. R.; Wyder, S.; Ben-David, R.; Bourras, S.; Matsumae, H.; McNally, K. E.; Parlange, F.; Riba, A.; Roffler, S.; Schaefer, L. K.; Shimizu, K. K.; Valenti, L.; Zbinden, H.; Wicker, T.; Keller, B. (2016). "Hybridization of powdery mildew strains gives rise to pathogens on novel agricultural crop species". Nature Genetics. 48 (2): 201–205. Bibcode:2016NaGen..48..201M. doi:10.1038/ng.3485. PMID 26752267.
  28. ↑ Müller, M. C.; Kunz, L.; Schudel, S.; Lawson, A. W.; Kammerecker, S.; Isaksson, J.; Wyler, M.; Graf, J.; Sotiropoulos, A. G.; Praz, C. R.; Manser, B.; Wicker, T.; Bourras, S.; Keller, B. (2022). "Ancient variation of the AvrPm17 gene in powdery mildew limits the effectiveness of the introgressed rye Pm17 resistance gene in wheat". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 119 (30) e2108808119. Bibcode:2022PNAS..11908808M. doi:10.1073/pnas.2108808119. PMC 9335242. PMID 35857869.
  29. ↑ Kunz, L.; Sotiropoulos, A. G.; Graf, J.; Razavi, M.; Keller, B.; Müller, M. C. (2023). "The broad use of the Pm8 resistance gene in wheat resulted in hypermutation of the AvrPm8 gene in the powdery mildew pathogen". BMC Biology. 21 (1): 29. doi:10.1186/s12915-023-01513-5. PMC 9909948. PMID 36755285.
  30. ↑ Kunz, L.; Bernasconi, Z.; Heuberger, M.; Isaksson, J.; Sotiropoulos, A. G.; Stirnemann, U.; Jigisha, J.; Menardo, F.; Wicker, T.; Müller, M. C.; Keller, B. (2026). "Dual recognition of structurally unrelated mildew effectors underlies the broad-spectrum resistance of Pm3e in wheat". Nature Communications. 17 (1) 5955. Bibcode:2026NatCo..17.5955K. doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72199-w. PMC 13342611. PMID 42069721.
  31. ↑ Bernasconi, Z.; Herger, A. G.; Caro, M. D. P.; Kunz, L.; Müller, M. C.; et al. (2026). "Virulence on Pm4 kinase-based resistance is determined by two divergent wheat powdery mildew effectors". Nature Plants. 12 (1): 164–178. Bibcode:2026NatPl..12..164B. doi:10.1038/s41477-025-02180-w. PMC 12830362. PMID 41526694.
  32. ↑ Bernasconi, Z.; Stirnemann, U.; Xu, Y.; Herger, A. G.; et al. (2026). "An HMA-like integrated domain in the wheat tandem kinase WTK4 recognises an RNase-like pathogen effector". Nature Communications. 17 (1) 8458. Bibcode:2026NatCo..17.8458B. doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74940-x. PMC 13478195. PMID 42409843.
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