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Thaxtomin A is a phytotoxin produced by Streptomyces scabies and other Streptomyces species, the causative agents of common scab disease in potato and other taproot crops. At nanomolar concentrations, thaxtomin causes dramatic cell swelling, reduced seedling growth, and inhibition of cellulose synthesis in Arabidopsis. We identified a mutant of Arabidopsis, designated txr1 , that exhibits increased resistance to thaxtomin as a result of a decrease in the rate of toxin uptake. The TXR1 gene was identified by map-based cloning and found to encode a novel, small protein with no apparent motifs or organelle-targeting signals. The protein, which has homologs in all fully sequenced eukaryotic genomes, is expressed in all tissues and during all developmental stages analyzed. Microarray transcript profiling of some 14,300 genes revealed two stomatin-like genes that were expressed differentially in the txr1 mutant and the wild type. We propose that TXR1 is a regulator of a transport mechanism.

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The population genetic structure of Phytophthora infestans in Ecuador was assessed from 101 isolates collected from 1990 to 1992 and 111 isolates collected in 1993. All isolates were analyzed for mating type and allozyme genotype. Both samples were dominated (>95%) by a clonal lineage (EC-1) defined from neutral markers: 90/100 genotype for glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, 96/100 genotype for peptidase, A1 mating type, and a previously unreported nuclear DNA fingerprint. The remaining isolates belonged to the US-1 clonal lineage, which has a worldwide distribution. Isolates in the 1993 sample were analyzed for virulence and metalaxyl sensitivity. All representatives of EC-1 had complex patho-types, with three pathotypes representing >60% of the collection. There was variation for metalaxyl sensitivity. There was no evidence for geographical substructuring on the basis of neutral markers, but there was evidence for limited substructuring based on metalaxyl sensitivity and specific virulence. We hypothesize that EC-1 has been recently introduced to Ecuador.

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