E.i. Dupont De Nemours and Company

Barbara Sue Valent

William Dean Hitz

James A Sweigard

Gregory T Bryan

Richard J Howard

Gregory Bryan

Forrest G Chumley

This invention concerns the preparation and use of an isolated nucleic acid fragments in order to confer a resistance gene mediated defense response in plants against a fungus comprising in its genome virulent and/or avirulent AVR-Pita alleles. Chimeric genes incorporating such fragments and suitable regulatory sequences can be used to create transgenic plants which can produce a resistance gene mediated defense response against a fungus comprising in its genome virulent and/or avirulent AVR-Pita alleles.

Modification of PI-TA gene conferring fungal disease resistance to plants

The preparation and use of an isolated nucleic acid fragment which confers a Pi-ta resistance gene-mediated defense response in plants against disease caused by fungal pathogens is described. Genes incorporating such nucleic acid fragments either alone or in combination with an AVR-Pita isolated nucleic acid fragment or functionally equivalent subfragments thereof and suitable regulatory sequences can be used to create transgenic plants which can produce a Pi-ta resistance gene-mediated defense response against a variety of fungal pathogens, in particular, the rice blast fungus.

Pi-ta gene conferring fungal disease resistance to plants

A purified fungal spore tip mucilage isolated from the conidia of Magnaporthe grisea and the process of isolation thereof.

Growing community of inventors

Wilmington, DE, United States of America

Barbara Sue Valent