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Characterization and Function of Bacterial Avirulence Genes

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Molecular Strategies of Pathogens and Host Plants

Abstract

Considerable progress has occurred in the cloning and characterization of avirulence genes from viral and bacterial pathogens. All of the avirulence genes thus far cloned behave as single dominant alleles and encode unique protein products. Nevertheless, with one noteworthy exception, the functions of avirulence genes in the pathogens that harbor them are not known. The hypersensitive reaction (HR) in plants carrying the complementary avirulence gene, however, appears to be determined by elicitors— either primary avirulence gene protein products or metabolites arising from their catalytic activity. Since this topic has already been reviewed in depth (Keen et al., 1990; Keen, 1990), in this paper, I will concentrate only on the most recent information.

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Authors
  1. Noel T. Keen
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Pathology and the Biotechnology Program, University of Hawaii, 3050 Maile Way, Gilmore 410, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    Suresh S. Patil

  2. Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Dallice Mills

  3. Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kinki University, 3327-204 Nakamachi, Nara, 631, Japan

    Seiji Ouchi

  4. Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, USDA-ARS, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA

    Carroll Vance

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© 1991 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Keen, N.T. (1991). Characterization and Function of Bacterial Avirulence Genes. In: Patil, S.S., Mills, D., Ouchi, S., Vance, C. (eds) Molecular Strategies of Pathogens and Host Plants. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3084-7_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3084-7_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7791-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-3084-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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