ARABIDOPSIS THALIANACYCLIC NUCLEOTIDE-GATED ION CHANNEL/DNDGENES; REGULATORS OF PLANT DISEASE RESISTANCE AND CELL DEATH

摘要

The cell death response known as the hypersensitive response (HR) is a centr al feature of gene-for-gene plant disease resistance. Plants also defend agains t pathogens via multigenically controlled broad-spectrum defense responses, su ch as those modulated by salicylic acid. The DND(Defense, No Death) loci of Arabidopsis thalianaregulate the extent of broad-spectrum disease resistance against a broad range of viral, bacterial, oomycete and fungal pathogens. Plants lacking a functional copy of the DND1or 2 gene are defective in HR cell death but exhibit successful gene-for-gene disease resistance. Plants lacking a functional copy of the DND1or 2gene also exhibit an enhanced broad-spectrum disease resistance phenotype. The DND1and 2gene products are identical to previously known cDNAs termed AtCNGC2and 1, respectively, that encode apparent cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel proteins. The identification of the CNGC/DNDgenes as regulators of disease resistance and host cell death, and the availability of CNGC/DNDgene sequence information, provide new possibilities for controlling a wide varie ty of plant diseases.