Fertility restoration of cytoplasmic male-sterility in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is useful for commercial production ofhybrid seeds. However, the mechanism of fertility restoration has not been determined. We previously constructed acDNA library and identified some genes related to fertility restoration in pepper using suppression subtractive hybridizationtechnology. In this study, the expression patterns of 20 genes were investigated using semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Threegenes expressed only in restorer lines, but not in sterility lines. Four genes expressed only in anther, but not in otherorgans. Among these 7 genes, the clone TG31 was observed to specifically express in anther of restorer lines. The workdescribed here provides a comprehensive overview on the expression pattern of the genes that are induced by restoreralleles in pepper. It will also contribute to the current understanding of molecular networks for the regulation of fertilityrestoration.

The resistance in tomato plants to bacterial speck caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato is triggered by the interactions between the plant resistance protein Pto and the pathogen avirulence proteins AvrPto or AvrPtoB. Fen is a gene encoding closely related functional protein kinases as the Pto gene. To investigate the status of resistance to the pathogen and natural variation of Pto and Fen genes in tomato, 67 lines including 29 growing in China were subject to disease resistance evaluation and fenthion-sensitivity test. Alleles of Pto and Fen were amplified from genomic DNA of 25 tomato lines using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequences were determined by sequencing the PCR products. The results indicated that none of the 29 cultivars/hybrids growing in China were resistant to bacterial speck race 0 strain DC3000. Seven of eight tomato lines resistant to DC3000 were also fenthion-sensitive. Analysis of deduced amino acid sequences identified three novel residue substitutions between Pto and pto, and one new substitution identified between Fen and fen. A PCR-based marker was developed and successfully used to select plants with resistance to DC3000.