Analysis of Defense Gene Expression

We are examining the expression of a wide range of genes encoding pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins and the enzymes of secondary product metabolism involved in some of the antibiotic and cell wall defenses.

Shown below are examples that illustrate different approaches to expression analyses of two key genes.  First of these genes is the pathogenesis- related protein, PR-2, which is a glucanase involved in the release of defense elicitors from the pathogen cell wall.  Figure 1 shows an electronic expression analysis for this gene using the soybean EST database and Figure 3 shows a real-time quantitative PCR (RT-PCR) analysis.  Expression of isoflavone synthase, a key enzyme in antibiotic formation, is shown in a Northern blot in Figure 2.  Please refer to the systemic defense page for more information on lactofen.