Abstract
A cDNA library of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)-infected tobacco was screened with polymerase chain reaction products obtained using a degenerate primer corresponding to proteinase inhibitor I (PI-I) of tomato and potato. The resulting clones encoded two highly similar, putative tobacco PI-I proteins, indicating that both genes identified in tobacco are probably expressed. The tobacco PI-I's were approximately 50% identical to wound-inducible potato and tomato PI-I and 80% identical to an ethylene-regulated tomato PI-I. Northern blot analyses indicated that healthy tobacco leaf contains only minor amounts of PI-I mRNA, and that the inhibitor genes are induced by TMV infection, salicylate treatment, ethephon spraying, UV light irradiation and wounding. The results indicate that the tobacco PI-I genes are coordinately expressed with the genes for the basic pathogenesis-related proteins. Contrary to PI-I genes of tomato and potato, wound induction of the tobacco genes occurs only locally; the upper, unwounded leaves do not show any wound-induced PI-I gene expression.
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Linthorst, H.J.M., Brederode, F.T., van der Does, C. et al. Tobacco proteinase inhibitor I genes are locally, but not systemically induced by stress. Plant Mol Biol 21, 985–992 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00023597
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00023597