The N gene of tobacco confers resistance to tobacco mosaic virus in transgenic tomato.

Abstract

It has been proposed that cloned plant disease resistance genes could be transferred from resistant to susceptible plant species to control important crop plant diseases. The recently cloned N gene of tobacco confers resistance to the viral pathogen, tobacco mosaic virus. We generated transgenic tomato plants bearing the N gene and demonstrate that N confers a hypersensitive response and effectively localizes tobacco mosaic virus to sites ofinoculation in transgenic tomato, as it does in tobacco. The ability to reconstruct the N-mediated resistance response to tobacco mosaic virus in tomato demonstrates the utility of using isolated resistance genes to protect crop plants from diseases, and it demonstrates that all the components necessary for N-mediated resistance are conserved in tomato.

A viral resistance gene from common bean functions across plant families and is up-regulated in a non-virus-specific manner

“…To date, the capacity of R genes to act across family boundaries has been the exception rather than the rule (7,14), with most examples of heterologous R gene function being in species within a single family (20,29). Our results add to the emerging picture that some R genes can function across plant families (28,30,31), implying that family boundaries may not necessarily impose limits on R gene function(s).…”

Resistance gene-dependent plant defense responses.

“…Obviously, there is considerable conservation of defense signaling mechanisms between plant species because several different classes of R genes also confer resistance when expressed in heterologous plant species. Examples include the tobacco N gene in tomato (Whitham et al, 1996), tomato Pfo gene in tobacco (Rommens et al, 1995;Thilmony et al, 1995), and tomato Cf genes in tobacco and potato (K.E. Hammond-Kosack and J.D.G.…”

Role of SCF Ubiquitin-Ligase and the COP9 Signalosome in the N Gene–Mediated Resistance Response to Tobacco mosaic virus

“…A cDNA library construction kit (Stratagene) was used to generate cDNAs using poly(A) ϩ RNA isolated from tissues taken from TMVresistant (VF36::NN) (Whitham et al, 1996) and TMV-susceptible (VF36) plants 1, 4, and 8 h after TMV infection. The cDNA library was fused to the B42 AD under the control of a Gal-inducible promoter (GAL1).…”