Plant & Animal Genomes XIV Conference

January 14-18, 2006
Town & Country Convention Center
San Diego, CA

Identification Of Rb-Orthologous Genes From Late Blight Resistant Diploid Potato

Dennis A Halterman^1,2 , Zhenyu Liu²

¹  Vegetable Crops Research Unit, USDA/ARS, Madison, WI 53706

²  Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706

Late blight, caused by the oomycete pathogen, Phytophthora infestans, is a devastating disease of potatoes and tomatoes. A gene RB, cloned from the Mexican diploid potato species Solanum bulbocastanum, confers broad spectrum resistance to potato late blight. To identify RB-like genes and understand the molecular basis of RB-mediated late blight resistance, we have amplified RB orthologs from other late-blight resistant potato species using a homology-based PCR approach. Comparison of RB-like genes from resistant and susceptible accessions have revealed interesting similarities and differences that may provide insights into gene function. Transcription of these genes has been tested using RT-PCR. Transcribed RB orthologs encoding full-length proteins will be tested for function through stable transformation into a susceptible potato cultivar.