Cloning and functional analysis of the genes involved in signal transduction in tomato Cf-4-Avr4 pathosystem

Abstract

Hypersensitive response (HR) is one of the most efficient and common resistance mechanisms in plants. Cloning signaling genes are very important to elucidate the resistance mechanisms. A gene in tomato homologous to several resistance proteins in plant was involved in HR and named as RGL (Resistance Gene Like). RGL protein was used as a bait to screen interacting protein(s) from tomato cDNA library through the yeast two-hybrid system. Two interacting proteins were found, which were called as RGLIP-1 and RGLIP2 (RGL Interacting Protein), respectively. RGLIP-1 is a protein of 291 amino acids with significant homology with thylakoid lumen protein. RGLIP-2 is a protein of 248 amino acids with significant homology with transducin protein. Virus-Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) of the two genes results in a partial and complete suppression of Avr4induced HR, which indicates that both genes are involved in hypersensitive response.

Key words： tomato; Cladosporium fulvum; hypersensitive response; yeast two-hybrid system; virus-induced gene silencing

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