RNAi-mediated disruption of squalene synthase improves drought tolerance and yield in rice.

About one-third of the world's rice area is in rain-fed lowlands and most are prone to water shortage. The identification of genes imparting tolerance to drought in the model cereal plant, rice, is an attractive strategy to engineer improved drought tolerance not only rice but other cereals as well. It is demonstrated that RNAi-mediated disruption of a rice farnesyltransferase/squalene synthase (SQS) by maize squalene synthase improves drought tolerance at both the vegetative and reproductive stages.

High-definition genome profiling for genetic marker discovery.

Genetic mapping is a key step towards isolating genes and genetic markers associated with phenotypic traits by elucidating their genetic positions. The success of this approach depends on precision in pinpointing genetic positions and the effectiveness of the discovery process. Recent advances in microarray technology and the increasing availability of genomic information have provided an opportunity to use microarrays to scan effectively for genetic variations at the whole-genome scale, enabling the production of high-definition gene-based genetic maps, in combination with functional analyses and identification of trait-associated genetic marker candidates with high precision.

Expression profiling and mutant analysis reveals complex regulatory networks involved in Arabidopsis response to Botrytis infection.

The expression profiles of Botrytis-inoculated Arabidopsis plants were studied to determine the nature of the defense transcriptome and to identify genes involved in host responses to the pathogen. Normally resistant Arabidopsis wild-type plants were compared with coi1, ein2, and nahG plants that are defective in various defense responses and/or show increased susceptibility to Botrytis. In wild-type plants, the expression of 621 genes representing approximately 0.

The membrane-anchored BOTRYTIS-INDUCED KINASE1 plays distinct roles in Arabidopsis resistance to necrotrophic and biotrophic pathogens.

Plant resistance to disease is controlled by the combination of defense response pathways that are activated depending on the nature of the pathogen. We identified the Arabidopsis thaliana BOTRYTIS-INDUCED KINASE1 (BIK1) gene that is transcriptionally regulated by Botrytis cinerea infection. Inactivation of BIK1 causes severe susceptibility to necrotrophic fungal pathogens but enhances resistance to a virulent strain of the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato.

The BOS loci of Arabidopsis are required for resistance to Botrytis cinerea infection.

Three Botrytis-susceptible mutants bos2, bos3, and bos4 which define independent and novel genetic loci required for Arabidopsis resistance to Botrytis cinerea were isolated. The bos2 mutant is susceptible to B. cinerea but retains wild-type levels of resistance to other pathogens tested, indicative of a defect in a response pathway more specific to B.

The BOTRYTIS SUSCEPTIBLE1 gene encodes an R2R3MYB transcription factor protein that is required for biotic and abiotic stress responses in Arabidopsis.

The molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in plant resistance to the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea and their genetic control are poorly understood. Botrytis causes severe disease in a wide range of plant species, both in the field and in postharvest situations, resulting in significant economic losses. We have isolated the BOS1 (BOTRYTIS-SUSCEPTIBLE1) gene of Arabidopsis based on a T-DNA insertion allele that resulted in increased susceptibility to Botrytis infection.