RICE BLAST SUSCEPTIBILITY GENE Pi21, RESISTANCE GENE pi21, AND USES THEREOF

Abstract

The present inventors succeeded in isolating the rice field resistance gene pi21 by linkage analysis, and found that field resistance to blast in plants could be modified by introducing or controlling the expression of the gene. Thus, it became possible to efficiently confer plants with field resistance. It also became possible to select, at an early stage, rice plants having field resistance to blast. Moreover, by changing the tissue specificity of expression and the expression level of the gene involved in field resistance, varieties having resistance as well as high practical use can be grown.

1 . A set of nucleic acids capable of amplifying all or a part of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, 4, or 20. 
     
     
         2 . The set of  claim 1 , comprising at least one of the following sets of nucleic acids selected from the group consisting of:
 (a) a nucleic acid comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8, and a nucleic acid comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 9;   (b) a nucleic acid comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 16, and a nucleic acid comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 17; and   (c) a nucleic acid comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 26, and a nucleic acid comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 27.   
     
     
         3 . An isolated nucleic acid comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7, 10, 18, 19, 23, or 25.