Gene-for-gene relationships between rice and diverse avrBs3/pthA avirulence genes in Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae

The interactions between Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) and rice are controlled in a gene-for-gene manner. In this study, a 359 bp DNA fragment of the avrXa3 gene containing three nuclear localization signal (NLS) motifs present in all members of the avrBs3/pthA family was used as a probe to screen a genomic library of the JXOIII strain of Xoo. The results demonstrated that diverse members of the family exist in the pathogen genome. The avrBs3/pthA genes occurred at isolated individual portions or in clusters. The positive avr gene clones were transferred into the virulent recipient PXO99^A. Pathogenicity tests in near isogenic lines of rice confirmed that four resistance (R) genes ( Xa2 , Xa3 , xa5 and xa8 ) matched the four avr genes ( avrXa2 , avrXa3 , avrxa5 and avrxa8 ) in the genome of Xoo strain JXOIII. The avrBs3/PthA -like gene (1·7 kb) present in cosmid p54, may specifically interact with the Xa3 gene present in IRBB3, and is designated avr/pthA3 . Sequencing indicated that there are only 1·5 copies of the 102 bp repeat unit in avr/pthA3 . Alignment of the twelfth and thirteenth amino acids in the repetitive units encoded by this gene with those in other representatives of the AvrBs3 family revealed a unique repeat arrangement which might contribute to variation in the avirulence genes in Xoo. The parental rice line IR24 was found to contain several R genes for resistance to Xoo bacterial blight.