title: Identification and characterization of a NBS-LRR class resistance gene analog inPistacia atlanticasubsp. Kurdica.
abstract: P. atlanticasubsp. Kurdica, with the local name of Baneh, is a wild medicinal plant which grows in Kurdistan, Iran. The identification of resistance gene analogs holds great promise for the development of resistant cultivars. A PCR approach with degenerate primers designed according to conserved NBS-LRR (nucleotide binding site-leucine rich repeat) regions of known disease-resistance (R) genes was used to amplify and clone homologous sequences fromP. atlanticasubsp. Kurdica. A DNA fragment of the expected 500-bp size was amplified. The nucleotide sequence of this amplicon was obtained through sequencing and the predicted amino acid sequence compared to the amino acid sequences of known R-genes revealed significant sequence similarity. Alignment of the deduced amino acid sequence ofP. atlanticasubsp. Kurdica resistance gene analog (RGA) showed strong identity, ranging from 68% to 77%, to the non-toll interleukin receptor (non-TIR) R-gene subfamily from other plants. A P-loop motif (GMMGGEGKTT), a conserved and hydrophobic motif GLPLAL, a kinase-2a motif (LLVLDDV), when replaced by IAVFDDI inPAKRGA1and a kinase-3a (FGPGSRIII) were presented in all RGA. A phylogenetic tree, based on the deduced amino-acid sequences ofPAKRGA1and RGAs from different species indicated that they were separated in two clusters,PAKRGA1being on cluster II. The isolated NBS analogs can be eventually used as guidelines to isolate numerous R-genes in Pistachio.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran.
authors.forename: Bahman
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bahramnejad
keywords: Pistacia atlantica subsp. Kurdica; Resistance gene analog (RGA); cloning