Abstract: This invention provides a method for preventing or inhibiting infection with a plant-infecting microorganism and imparting resistivity to plants, a method for preparing plants having resistance to diseases caused by microorganisms such as plant pathogenic filamentous fungi, and a microbial pesticide formulation. The method for preventing or inhibiting infection of a host plant with plant-infecting microorganisms comprises degrading ?-1,3-glucan on cell walls of the microorganisms by ?-1,3-glucanase.

Abstract: The present inventors isolated and purified elicitor-binding proteins in good yield by combining the development of a column that uses APEA derivatives, pre-columns to remove non-specifically adsorbing substances, and effective elution methods. Using the N-terminal and internal chain amino acid sequences of the obtained proteins, the present inventors successfully isolated cDNAs encoding the proteins of the present invention from a rice cDNA library. Moreover, when anti-Con A-CEBiP antibodies were purified and their effect on elicitor-responsive reactive oxygen production was examined, production of reactive oxygen was inhibited by a pretreatment with the antibodies, suggesting that the present proteins are receptor proteins involved in chitin oligosaccharide elicitor responses. Since these elicitors induce resistance to blast in rice, the proteins of the present invention can be applied to the development of novel disease control technologies.

Abstract: To date, those skilled in the art have never considered that cultured plant cells respond to gibberellins. However, to comprehensively and conveniently identify and isolate gibberellin responsive genes, cultured cells, which are uniform and easy to handle, are appropriate. Considering the advantages of cultured cells, the present inventors developed methods for identifying and isolating gibberellin responsive genes using cultured cells. After pre-culturing cells in an auxin-free medium, they examined whether or not changes in gene expression could be detected. As a result, it was surprisingly revealed that changes in the expression of some genes could be detected after gibberellin treatment.

Abstract: Genes whose expression was induced in the early stages of elicitor treatment were investigated using a DNA microchip containing 1265 varieties of rice ESTs. A chitin oligomer (N-acetylchitooligosaccharide), an important component in the cell wall of rice blast fungus, was used as the elicitor. This resulted in the identification of six varieties of novel elicitor-responsive ESTs. Of these, the product of two genes (named CIGR1 gene and CIGR2 gene) possessed a motif characteristic of the GRAS family, which are thought to be transcription factors. Thus it was indicated for the first time that, in addition to gibberellin signal transduction regulatory factors, the GRAS family is also present in rice.

Abstract: This invention relates to an LSI in which a gate electrode wiring in a logic cell which is constructed by combining a plurality of basic cells each of which consisting of a pair of p-type and n-type MOS transistors and a gate electrode wiring, has portion extending substantially to a marginal region which does not contain logic cells. Additionally wiring portions associated with the LSI are disposed in a layer different from the layer to which the extended portions of the gate electrode wiring belongs. The extended portions, in the marginal region, are connectible portions through through holes. Such a structural arrangement results in an increase in the gate utilization ratio and improves the reliability of an LSI without decreasing the freedom to lead the wiring between gates.