Generation of plants with improved pathogen resistance

Abstract

The present invention is directed to plants that display a pathogen resistance phenotype due to altered expression of a PPR1 nucleic acid. The invention is further directed to methods of generating plants with a pathogen resistance phenotype.

1 . A method of producing increased pathogen resistance in a plant, said method comprising:
 introducing into progenitor cells of the plant a plant transformation vector comprising a nucleotide sequence that encodes SEQ ID NO:2 or a polypeptide having at least 95% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO:2, and   growing the transformed progenitor cells to produce a transgenic plant, wherein said transgenic plant exhibits constitutive expression of endogenous PR1 protein and said increased resistance to pathogens controlled by the salicylic acid-dependent resistance pathway relative to a non-transgenic plant.   
     
     
         2 . A transgenic plant produced by the method of  claim 2 . 
     
     
         3 . A transgenic plant part obtained from the plant according to  claim 2 . 
     
     
         4 . A transgenic plant comprising a plant transformation vector comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a PPR1 polypeptide having at least 95% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO:2, wherein said transgenic plant exhibits constitutive expression of endogenous PPR1 protein and has increased resistance to a pathogen controlled by salicylic acid-dependent resistance pathway relative to a control plant. 
     
     
         5 . The transgenic plant of  claim 4 , wherein the PPR1 polypeptide is SEQ ID NO:2.