Indiana University

Advanced Research & Technology Institute

Roger Innes

Sang Hee Kim

Dong Qi

Catherine A Frye

Compositions, systems and methods are provided for conferring disease resistance to plant pathogens that use proteases to target plant substrate proteins inside plant cells. Briefly, the compositions, systems and methods are based upon plant substrate proteins that are targeted by pathogen-specific proteases and that activate nucleotide binding site-leucine rich repeat (NB-LRR) disease resistance proteins when cleaved by the protease. These substrate proteins are modified such that the endogenous protease recognition sequence is replaced by a protease recognition sequence specific to a different pathogen protease (i.e., a heterologous protease recognition sequence). The modified plant substrate protein therefore can be used in connection with its corresponding NB-LRR protein to activate resistance in response to cleavage by the heterologous pathogen-specific protease. When activated by the plant pathogen-specific protease, the pair initiates host defense responses thereto, including programmed cell death.

Compositions and systems for conferring disease resistance in plants and methods of use thereof

Provided in the present invention are isolated nucleotide sequences encoding EDR1 proteins, the disruption of which is associated with enhanced disease resistance in plants. The invention also provides vectors comprising said nucleotide sequences.

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Bloomington, IN, United States of America

Roger Innes