Transgenic tomato plants expressing the pear fruit polygalacturonase inhibitor protein (pPGIP) were used to demonstrate that this inhibitor of fungal pathogen endopolygalacturonases (endo-PGs) influences disease development. Transgenic expression of pPGIP resulted in abundant accumulation of the heterologous protein in all tissues and did not alter the expression of an endogenous tomato fruit P...

ABSTRACT Polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins (PGIPs) are believed to aid in plant defense against fungal pathogens by inhibiting polygalacturonases (PGs) secreted by the invading organism. In an effort to better understand this type of plant-pathogen interaction in cucurbits, we have isolated a cantaloupe PGIP (CmPGIP) from 5 to 15 day postanthesis cantaloupe fruit. CmPGIP inhibited crude ext...

The plant apoplast during plant-pathogen interactions is an ancient battleground that holds an intriguing range of attacking enzymes and counteracting inhibitors. Examples are pathogen xylanases and polygalacturonases that are inhibited by plant proteins like TAXI, XIP, and PGIP; and plant glucanases and proteases, which are targeted by pathogen proteins such as GIP1, EPI1, EPIC2B, and AVR2. Th...

Manipulation of innate immunity of living organisms to render them more rapid or sensitive in responding to microbial and environmental challenges is becoming a feasible strategy to combat diseases. Our knowledge of immunity-related molecules (signal molecules, receptors, interacting proteins, transducers, genes and defence proteins) is continually increasing in both animals and plants. In both...