Abstract:

Summary

One of the recent exciting developments in the research area of plant-microbe interactions is a breakthrough in understanding part of the initial signalling between avirulent Gram-negative bacteria and resistant plants. For resistance to occur, both interacting organisms need to express matching genes, the plant resistance gene and the bacterial avirulence gene. The biochemical function of bacterial avirulence genes and the nature of the signal molecules recognized by the plant have been a mystery for a long time. Recently, several laboratories have shown that bacterial avirulence proteins function as elicitors that are perceived within the plant cell.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-313X.1997.12010001.x

Affiliations: 1: Institut des Sciences Végétales, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France, and