Defensin polynucleotides and methods of use

A method for enhancing disease resistance in a plant, said method comprising transforming said plant with at least one nucleotide construct comprising a nucleotide sequence comprising a tissue-preferred promoter operably linked to a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide having at least 95% sequence identity to the sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:60 and having defensin-like activity, wherein said tissue-preferred promoter directs the expression of said polypeptide to a plant tissue known to be susceptible to a pathogen, and regenerating said transformed plant.

A transformed host cell comprising in its genome at least one stably incorporated DNA construct comprising a nucleotide sequence comprising a pathogen-inducible promoter operably linked to a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide that has defensin-like activity, wherein said polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence that has at least 95 percent sequence identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:60, wherein said promoter drives expression of said polypeptide in the host cell.

A plant comprising in its genome at least one stably incorporated DNA construct comprising a nucleotide sequence comprising a tissue-preferred promoter operably linked to a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide that has defensin-like activity, wherein said polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence that has at least 95 percent sequence identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:60, and wherein said tissue-preferred promoter directs the expression of said polypeptide to a plant tissue known to be susceptible to a pathogen.

A method of modulating a plant pathogen defense system, said method comprising:

• (a) planting a transformed plant or a transformed seed, wherein said transformed plant or transformed seed comprises a heterologous nucleotide sequence stably incorporated into its genome, wherein said nucleotide sequence comprises a tissue-preferred promoter operably linked to a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide that has defensing-like activity, wherein said polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 95 percent sequence identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:60, wherein said tissue-preferred promoter directs the expression of said polypeptide to a plant tissue known to be susceptible to a pathogen, and wherein said polypeptide is present in an amount effective for anti-pathogenic activity;
• and
• (b) growing said transformed plant or transformed seed, wherein said transformed plant or transformed seed displays tolerance to at least one pathogen in said environment.