title: Over-expression of a protein kinase gene enhances the defense of tobacco against Rhizoctonia solani.
abstract: To identify Nicotiana tabacum genes involved in resistance and susceptibility to Rhizoctonia solani, suppression subtractive hybridization was used to generate a cDNA library from transcripts that are differentially expressed during a compatible and incompatible interaction. This allowed the isolation of a protein kinase cDNA that was down-regulated during a compatible and up-regulated during an incompatible interaction. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis of this gene confirmed the differential expression patterns between the compatible and incompatible interactions. Over-expression of this gene in tobacco enhanced the resistance to damping-off produced by an aggressive R. solani strain. Furthermore, silencing of this protein kinase gene reduced the resistance to a non-aggressive R. solani strain. A set of reported tobacco-resistant genes were also evaluated in tobacco plants over-expressing and silencing the protein kinase cDNA. Several genes previously associated with resistance in tobacco, like manganese superoxide dismutase, Hsr203J, chitinases and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, were up-regulated in tobacco plants over-expressing the protein kinase cDNA. Potentially, the protein kinase gene could be used to engineer resistance to R. solani in tobacco cultivars susceptible to this important pathogen.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, PO Box 6162, Havana, 10600, Cuba.
authors.forename: Osmany
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Chacón
authors.forename: Marleny
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: Yunior
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: Roxana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Portieles
authors.forename: Merardo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pujol
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: Henk-Jan
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Schoonbeek
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Métraux
authors.forename: Orlando
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Borrás-Hidalgo
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D018533:Biomass; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012232:Rhizoctonia / Q000502:physiology*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D011494:Protein Kinases