The use of pathogen-derived effectors as molecular probes to identify S genes is explored, finding that most effector targets identified so far are not applicable as S genes due to detrimental effects they have on other traits.
It is indicated that banana DMR6 functions as a negative regulator of plant immunity and is closely associated with susceptibility to Fusarium wilt, providing a molecular basis for future functional validation and support DMR6 as a potential target for precise genome editing to develop resistant banana cultivars.
Márcio Leandro da Silveira Fonseca, Luiz Carlos Bento de Souza, Fernanda dos SantosNascimento et al.· Molecular Biology Reports· 0 citations
It is concluded that future breeding programs will integrate advanced genetic and computational tools to develop rice varieties with durable and broad-spectrum resistance to bacterial leaf streak and other pathogens.
M. Win, Wanchana Aesomnuk, Thanyakorn Rongsawat et al.· Rice· 0 citations
Engineering broad‐spectrum disease resistance remains a major challenge in crop improvement because most resistance genes are effective against a limited range of pathogens. Pathogenesis‐related (PR) proteins, particularly endochitinases, are promising targets for enhancing plant immunity due to their antimicrobial activity and ability to activate defense responses. Here, we generated transgenic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants overexpressing an endochitinase gene to assess their potential for enhanced resistance against bacterial and fungal pathogens. Three independent overexpression lines and the wild type were evaluated for transgene expression, chitinase activity, defense‐related gene expression, and resistance after inoculation with Xanthomonas euvesicatoria pv. perforans (Xep) and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. The transgene was strongly expressed in all transgenic lines, whereas chitinase activity increased by up to fivefold compared with the wild type. Endochitinase overexpression activated defense responses, with marked induction of PR1 expression, reaching a maximum increase of over 480‐fold, and enhanced expression of defense‐associated genes, including SlACS and SlACO. Compared with the wild type, the most responsive transgenic lines showed reductions of up to 79.7% in bacterial spot severity and 85.6% in white mold severity. These findings demonstrate that endochitinase overexpression activates defense signaling and improves broad‐spectrum resistance, representing a promising strategy for developing disease‐resistant tomato cultivars.
Lucas José de Sousa, A. C. Bezerra, Ivonaldo Reis Santos et al.· Biotechnology Journal· 0 citations