Molecular biology of host-pathogen interactions : Do we have enough answers?*

A review of recent progress in the molecular biology of host-pathogen interactions is presented. Topics covered include gene expression in plant defence responses (targeted and shot gun approaches are both dealt with), defence responses involving secondary plant metabolism (including phytoalexin production), stress proteins and the role of antioxidant metabolism. Areas that should be targeted in future research are identified, including improvement of transformation techniques and the isolation ofgenes involved in the production of antimicrobial or insecticidal products.

[1]  J. Timmis,et al.  Analysis of plastid DNA-like sequences within the nuclear genomes of higher plants. , 1998, Molecular biology and evolution.

[2]  C. Lamb,et al.  Rapid Switching of Plant Gene Expression Induced by Fungal Elicitor , 1985 .

[3]  J. Ebel PHYTOALEXIN SYNTHESIS: THE BIOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF THE INDUCTION PROCESS , 1986 .

[4]  A. Boudet,et al.  Induction of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and 4-coumarate:CoA ligase mRNAs in cultured plant cells by UV light or fungal elicitor. , 1984, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[5]  A. Neiman Conservation and reiteration of a kinase cascade. , 1993, Trends in genetics : TIG.

[6]  P. D. de Wit,et al.  Purification and serological characterization of three basic 15-kilodalton pathogenesis-related proteins from tomato. , 1990, Plant physiology.

[7]  R. Michelmore,et al.  The Major Resistance Gene Cluster in Lettuce Is Highly Duplicated and Spans Several Megabases , 1998, Plant Cell.

[8]  Y. Ohashi,et al.  Involvement of an O2− generating system in the induction of necrotic lesions on tobacco leaves infected with tobacco mosaic virus , 1988 .

[9]  R. Frederiksen,et al.  A molecular marker that segregates with sorghum leaf blight resistance in one cross is maternally inherited in another , 1999, Molecular and General Genetics MGG.

[10]  K. Buchner Protein kinase C in the transduction of signals toward and within the cell nucleus. , 1995, European journal of biochemistry.

[11]  I. Chet,et al.  Cell wall composition of Fusarium oxysporum , 1989 .

[12]  R. Buonaurio,et al.  Soluble superoxide dismutase (SOD) in susceptible and resistant host-parasite complexes of Phaseolus vulgaris and Uromyces phaseoli☆ , 1987 .

[13]  B C Meyers,et al.  Clusters of resistance genes in plants evolve by divergent selection and a birth-and-death process. , 1998, Genome research.

[14]  D. Klessig,et al.  Engineering disease and pest resistance in plants. , 1998, Trends in microbiology.

[15]  J. Gray Control of Isoprenoid Biosynthesis in Higher Plants , 1988 .

[16]  Jonathan D. G. Jones,et al.  The Tomato Cf-2 Disease Resistance Locus Comprises Two Functional Genes Encoding Leucine-Rich Repeat Proteins , 1996, Cell.

[17]  G. Martin,et al.  The Pto Bacterial Resistance Gene and the Fen Insecticide Sensitivity Gene Encode Functional Protein Kinases with Serine/Threonine Specificity , 1995, Plant physiology.

[18]  Z. Kiraly,et al.  Effects of powdery mildew infection of barley on the ascorbate-glutathione cycle and other antioxidants in different host-pathogen interactions , 1995 .

[19]  G. Martin,et al.  Map-based cloning of a protein kinase gene conferring disease resistance in tomato. , 1993, Science.

[20]  R. Dixon,et al.  Emerging Strategies for Enhancing Crop Resistance to Microbial Pathogens , 1992, Bio/Technology.