Abstract: The nematode resistant gene N is a single dominant gene in pepper cultivar CarolinaWonder
(Capsicum annuum L. ). To investigate the early up2regulated exp ression genes p rofile in cultivar Carolina
Wonder induced by root2knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita, RKN) , a forward subtracted cDNA library
was constructed using supp ression subtractive hybridization ( SSH). The cDNA of pepper seedling root tip s in
oculated with J2 RKN for 12, 24 and 36 h were used as tester and that from untreated root tip s as driver. To
tally 237 RKN2induced SSH cDNA fragments were selected with DIG Nonradioactive Nucleic Acid Labeling
and Detection System. Based on the sequencing and BLAST analyzing of 148 fragments, 68 up2regulated ex
p ression EST fragmentswere identified, including the genes encode nucleotide2binding site / leucine-rich repeat
(NBS2LRR) disease resistant p roteins and LRR resistance p rotein2like; some defense p roteins, such as Germ
in2like p rotein, HSR203J p rotein2like, Nectarin, and Snakin22; some biostress resistance related transcrip tion
factor likeWRKY and ERFBP; some signal p roteins, such as GRP2like p rotein and 142323 family p rotein.
The Gene Ontology analysis revealed that the up2regulated ESTs involved in the recognition to nematode, sig
nal transduction, p rotection mechanism, HR and SAR. In addition, some ESTs of unknown function may benovel genes.

Key words: Root-knot nematode, Pepper, N gene, Suppression subtractive hybridization ( SSH ), Resistant-nematode gene