title: The generation of plant disease resistance gene specificities.
abstract: We are gaining an understanding of the molecular basis of resistance specificity and of the natural processes that generate different specificities. This is a prerequisite for the genetic engineering of new plant disease-resistance genes to control diseases for which naturally occurring resistance is inadequate. DNA sequence analysis indicates that point mutation, recombination and selection can generate and maintain the high levels of polymorphism observed in resistance genes. Comparisons of closely related resistance proteins indicate that specificity can be determined by variation in at least two regions. One of these contains leucine-rich repeats, which are a common feature of most resistance proteins.
authors.affiliation: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation - Plant Industry, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT, Australia. jeff.ellis@pi.csiro.au
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dodds
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pryor
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017343:Genes, Plant; D014644:Genetic Variation; D000090263:Leucine-Rich Repeat Proteins; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D020449:Repetitive Sequences, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D000090263:Leucine-Rich Repeat Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011506:Proteins; C413573:AVP-Pita protein, Oryza sativa; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases