Abstract: The present invention provides transgenic, disease-resistant plants which have been transformed with an expression cassette including a constitutive gene expression promoter; and a gene, under the control of the promoter, encoding a harpin. The transformed cells in the transgenic plant effect the constitutive expression of the harpin in an amount effective for inducing a defense reaction. The harpin is a protein consisting of an amino acid sequence that is at least 90% homologous to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, and possesses a hypersensitive-response-inducing activity. The present invention also provides methods for producing the transgenic plants, expression cassettes, recombinant vectors and genes encoding harpins.

Abstract: The present invention provides transgenic, disease-resistant plants which have been transformed with an expression cassette including a constitutive gene expression promoter; and a gene, under the control of the promoter, encoding a harpin. The transformed cells in the transgenic plant effect the constitutive expression of the harpin in an amount effective for inducing a defense reaction. The harpin is a protein consisting of an amino acid sequence that is at least 90% homologous to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, and possesses a hypersensitive-response-inducing activity. The present invention also provides methods for producing the transgenic plants, expression cassettes, recombinant vectors and genes encoding harpins.

Abstract: It is the object of the present invention to provide disease-resistant plants which have been transformed to cause an effective defense reaction, and methods for producing the same. The present invention provides expression cassettes comprising a promoter capable of promoting a constitutive, inducible, or organ- or phase-specific gene expression, and a gene, under the control of said promoter, encoding an elicitor protein.

Abstract: It is the object of the present invention to provide disease-resistant plants which have been transformed to cause an effective defense reaction, and methods for producing the same. The present invention provides expression cassettes comprising a promoter capable of promoting a constitutive, inducible, or organ- or phase-specific gene expression, and a gene, under the control of said promoter, encoding an elicitor protein.

Abstract: A gene silencing vector according to the present invention comprises a vector which includes a promoter, an enhancer sequence in the downstream of the promoter, and a gene encoding a potyvirus-origin coat protein in the downstream of the enhancer sequence, wherein in order to cause gene silencing of the specific target gene in a host plant, the vector is used with a specific target gene or a gene that is homologous to the target gene inserted in the vicinity of the gene encoding the coat protein.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to screen and identify a novel antimicrobial protein which can inhibit the growth of plant pathogenic microorganisms at a relatively low concentration such as Pyricularia oryzae and Rhizoctonia solani causative of two major diseases causing damage to rice crops and, further, to clone the gene of this protein. According to the present invention, an antimicrobial protein which can be obtained from a fraction of an aqueous extract of Lyophyllum shimeji precipitated by the ammonium sulfate precipitation method, has an antimicrobial activity at least against Rhizoctonia solani or Pyricularia oryzae, and shows the presence of components of about 70 kDa and/or about 65 kDa in molecular weight in the SDS-PAGE method. A gene encoding this protein and a method of using the same are provided.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to screen and identify a novel antimicrobial protein which can inhibit the growth of plant pathogenic microorganisms at a relatively low concentration such as Pyricularia oryzae and Rhizoctonia solani causative of two major diseases causing damage to rice crops and, further, to clone the gene of this protein. According to the present invention, an antimicrobial protein which can be obtained from a fraction of an aqueous extract of Lyophyllum shimeji precipitated by the ammonium sulfate precipitation method, has an antimicrobial activity at least against Rhizoctonia solani or Pyricularia oryzae, and shows the presence of components of about 70 kDa and/or about 65 kDa in molecular weight in the SDS-PAGE method. A gene encoding this protein and a method of using the same are provided.

Abstract: A gene silencing vector according to the present invention comprises a vector which includes a promoter, an enhancer sequence in the downstream of the promoter, and a gene encoding a potyvirus-origin coat protein in the downstream of the enhancer sequence, wherein in order to cause gene silencing of the specific target gene in a host plant, the vector is used with a specific target gene or a gene that is homologous to the target gene inserted in the vicinity of the gene encoding the coat protein.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to screen and identify a novel antimicrobial protein which can inhibit the growth of plant pathogenic microorganisms at a relatively low concentration such as Pyricularia oryzae and Rhizoctonia solani causative of two major diseases causing damage to rice crops and, further, to clone the gene of this protein. According to the present invention, an antimicrobial protein which can be obtained from a fraction of an aqueous extract of Lyophyllum shimeji precipitated by the ammonium sulfate precipitation method, has an antimicrobial activity at least against Rhizoctonia solani or Pyricularia oryzae, and shows the presence of components of about 70 kDa and/or about 65 kDa in molecular weight in the SDS-PAGE method. A gene encoding this protein and a method of using the same are provided.

Abstract: It is the object of the present invention to provide disease-resistant plants which have been transformed to cause an effective defense reaction, and methods for producing the same.

Abstract: A recombinant vector which can transform potato plants so as to confer upon the potato plant immunity against potato virus Y necrosis line is disclosed. The recombinant vector according to the present invention comprises a promoter which functions in a potato plant cell; an operably linked leader sequence of RNA4 of cucumber mosaic virus, which is located downstream of the promoter; and an operably linked sequence which encodes a coat protein of potato virus Y necrosis line, which is located downstream of said leader sequence; and the recombinant vector is capable of transforming potato plants.

Abstract: The present invention discloses transgenic plants in which the expression of SAHH gene present in their genome is substantially inhibited. Such plants have excellent properties such as resistance to viruses.