FAMILY OF MAIZE PR-1 GENES AND PROMOTERS

摘要

The present invention provides compositions and methods for regulating expression of heterologous nucleotide sequences in a plant. Compositions are novel nucleotide sequences for inducible and constitutive promoters isolated from a family of maize genes encoding pathogenesis-related (PR-1) proteins, nucleotide sequences for these maize PR-1 genes, and amino acid sequences for the PR-1 proteins encoded thereby. Methods for regulating expression of a heterologous nucleotide sequence in a plant in an inducible or constitutive manner are provided, more particularly regulating expression of a PR-1 gene to enhance disease resistance in a plant. The methods comprise transforming a plant cell to comprise a heterologous nucleotide sequence or PR-1 gene operably linked to one of the inducible or constitutive promoters of the present invention and regenerating a stably transformed plant from the transformed plant cell. Transformed plants and seeds having enhanced disease resistance are also provided.