Sequence and expression of a wheat gene that encodes a novel protein associated with pathogen defense

Abstract

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) exhibits local acquired resistance to the powdery mildew pathogen Erysiphe graminis f. sp. tritici. The resistant state can be induced by a preinoculation with the nonhost pathogen E. g.f. sp. hordei, the barley powdery mildew, and is accompanied by the activation of putative defense genes. Here, we report the sequence of a pathogen-induced gene, WIR1a, and a corresponding cDNA, WIR1, that encode novel defense-related proteins of 88 and 85 amino acids, respectively. Analysis of the primary structure of these proteins predicts them to be integral membrane proteins with extracytoplasmic C-terminal domains rich in proline and glycine, through which the proteins possibly interact with the cell wall.