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The necrotrophic fungus Rhizoctonia cerealis is the major pathogen causing sharp eyespot disease in wheat (Triticum aestivum). Nucleotide‐binding leucine‐rich repeat (NB‐LRR) proteins often mediate plant disease resistance to biotrophic pathogens. Little is known about the role of NB‐LRR genes involved in wheat response to R. cerealis. In this study, a wheat NB‐LRR gene, named TaRCR1, was identified in response to R. cerealis infection using Artificial Neural Network analysis based on comparative transcriptomics and its defence role was characterized. The transcriptional level of TaRCR1 was enhanced after R. cerealis inoculation and associated with the resistance level of wheat. TaRCR1 was located on wheat chromosome 3BS and encoded an NB‐LRR protein that was consisting of a coiled‐coil domain, an NB‐ARC domain and 13 imperfect leucine‐rich repeats. TaRCR1 was localized in both the …