Increased tolerance to two oomycete pathogens in transgenic tobacco expressing pathogenesis-related protein 1a

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 90; no. 15; pp. 7327 - 7331
• Main Authors: Alexander, D, Goodman, R.M, Gut-Rella, M, Glascock, C, Weymann, K, Friedrich, L, Maddox, D, Ahl-Goy, P, Luntz, T, Ward, E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 01.08.1993; National Acad Sciences; National Academy of Sciences
• Subjects: AGROBACTERIUM TUMEFACIENS; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; Disease; Disease resistance; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fungal plant pathogens; Genetic engineering; Homozygotes; Infections; Nicotiana; NICOTIANA TABACUM; Oomycetes; Oomycetes - pathogenicity; Parasitic diseases; Parasitism; Pathogens; Pathology, epidemiology, host-fungus relationships. Damages, economic importance; PERONOSPORA; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; PHYTOPHTHORA NICOTIANAE; Phytophthora parasitica; Plant Diseases; Plant Proteins - genetics; PLANTAS TRANSGENICAS; PLANTE TRANSGENIQUE; Plants; Plants, Genetically Modified; Plants, Toxic; Proteins; RESISTANCE AUX MALADIES; RESISTENCIA A LA ENFERMEDAD; Tobacco; Transgenic plants; Plant pathogen; Peronospora tabacina; Phycomycetes; Phytophthora nicotianae; Gene overexpression; Nicotiana tabacum; Pathogenesis related protein; Fungus resistance; Fungi; Acquired resistance; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Defense mechanism; Spermatophyta; Transgenic plant; Solanaceae; Thallophyta
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.90.15.7327

Expression of pathogenesis-related protein 1a (PR-1a), a protein of unknown biochemical function, is induced to high levels in tobacco in response to pathogen infection. The induction of PR-1a expression is tightly correlated with the onset of systemic acquired resistance (SAR), a defense response effective against a variety of fungal, viral, and bacterial pathogens. While PR-1a has been postulated to be involved in SAR, and is the most highly expressed of the PR proteins, evidence for its role is lacking. In this report, we demonstrate that constitutive high-level expression of PR-1a in transgenic tobacco results in tolerance to infection by two oomycete pathogens, Peronospora tabacina and Phytophthora parasitica var. nicotianae.