A new method of identifying non-host plant disease resistance genes

摘要

The invention describes a new method to isolate disease resistance genes in plants. The method teaches to transiently express in susceptible plants large numbers of R-gene homologs or non-host inducible genes isolated from non-host resistant plants. These plants can be screened for either disease resistance or ability to respond with a hypersensitive response to pathogen-elicitor subjection. The invention also reports several R-genes and non-host inducible genes that have been successfully isolated using the described method. These R-genes trigger a hypersensitive response in tobacco that is dependent on the presence of the ubiquitous P. infestans elicitor INF1. The presented R-genes are predicted to be both the first R-genes isolated that confer resistance against P. infestans and the first R-genes involved in non-host resistance.