Isolation of the Gene for EILP, an Elicitor-Inducible LRR Receptor-Like Protein, from Tobacco by Differential Display

We screened tobacco genes, which are differentially expressed in response to a fungal elicitor, and have isolated a gene which codes for a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) protein closely related to Cf genes in tomato. The EILP (elicitor inducible LRR protein) gene encodes 95 kDa protein, which consists of a putative membrane spanning region, 28 leucine-rich repeats and some N-linked glycosylation sites, and shows high homology to Cf-2/Cf-5 family genes. Southern blot analysis revealed the presence of some genes homologous to EILP in tobacco, like Cf genes in tomato. The expression of EILP was low at the basal level and increased by treatment with elicitor, implying that EILP is involved in both preexisting and inducible surveillance systems. The expression of EILP was activated by a non-pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. glycinea, and in a delayed fashion by the tobacco pathogen P. syringae pv. tabaci, suggesting that the product of EILP may be involved in non-host disease resistance in tobacco.