NmDef02, a novel antimicrobial gene isolated from Nicotiana megalosiphon confers high-level pathogen resistance under greenhouse and field conditions.

Plant defensins are small cysteine-rich peptides that inhibit the growth of a broad range of microbes. In this article, we describe NmDef02, a novel cDNA encoding a putative defensin isolated from Nicotiana megalosiphon upon inoculation with the tobacco blue mould pathogen Peronospora hyoscyami f.sp.

EIL2 transcription factor and glutathione synthetase are required for defense of tobacco against tobacco blue mold.

In order to identify tobacco (Nicotiana megalosiphon) genes involved in broad-spectrum resistance to tobacco blue mold (Peronospora hyoscyami f. sp. tabacina), suppression subtractive hybridization was used to generate cDNA from transcripts that are differentially expressed during an incompatible interaction.

Development of a highly efficient system for assessing recombinant gene expression in plant cell suspensions via Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation.

A transient gene-expression system was developed and used to characterize promoter strength, to verify suitability of bacterial gene modifications for expression in plant cells, and to express active antibody molecules. The system is based on suspension tobacco cells transformed by Agrobacterium in a transient way. Conditions such as pre-culture of tobacco cells and the co-cultivation period were identified as determinants to achieve high expression levels.