BASIC COMPATIBILITY IS A SPECIALIZED EVOLUTIONARY ADAPTATION

Rationale:
  1. Basic compatibility - adapatation of a fungal race or species to a specific host
  2. When basic compatibility exists, pathogen must be able to
  3. Evolution tends towards specialization

Postulate: Evolution of host and pathogen would be expected to be accompanied by changes in defense gene expression.
 
Hypothetical expression patterns

a - defense response
b - altered response; may or may not affect resistance
c - susceptible interaction
d - altered response; may or may not affect resistance

Significance:

  1. Changes in host create conditions unsuitable for pathogen.
  2. Pathogens of one species well adapted to defenses of the host, but NOT to defenses from other plants.

Would it be better to use defense genes from heterologous species for genetic engineering?