Flagellin-sensing 3 ('fls3') protein and methods of use

A method of expressing a nucleic acid molecule in a plant, said method comprising:

• providing a transgenic plant or plant seed transformed with a nucleic acid construct comprising:
• a nucleic acid molecule that encodes a FLAGELLIN-SENSING 3 (“FLS3”) protein;
• a 5′ heterologous DNA promoter sequence;
• and
• a 3′ terminator sequence, wherein the nucleic acid molecule, the DNA promoter sequence, and the terminator sequence are operatively coupled to permit transcription of the nucleic acid molecule, and
• growing the transgenic plant or a plant grown from the transgenic plant seed under conditions effective to express the nucleic acid molecule in said transgenic plant or said plant grown from the transgenic plant seed.

A method of identifying a candidate plant suitable for breeding that displays enhanced disease resistance, said method comprising:

• providing a candidate plant;
• analyzing the candidate plant for the presence, in its genome, of a gene encoding an FLS3 protein;
• identifying, based on said analyzing, a candidate plant suitable for breeding that includes in its genome, a gene encoding an FLS3 protein;
• and
• breeding the identified plant with at least one other plant.

A method for enhancing efficiency of transformation of a plant by Agrobacterium, said method comprising:

• transforming a plant or a plant seed with a nucleic acid construct effective to silence expression of a nucleic acid molecule that encodes an FLS3 protein, wherein said transforming is effective to reduce or eliminate expression of FLS3 protein in the plant and said nucleic acid construct comprising:
• a nucleic acid molecule configured to silence FLS3 protein expression;
• a 5′ DNA promoter sequence;
• and
• a 3′ terminator sequence, wherein the nucleic acid molecule, the promoter, and the terminator are operatively coupled to permit expression of the nucleic acid molecule.