The present invention is directed to an isolated protein or polypeptide from Agrobacterium associated with production of a hypersensitive response, particularly Agrobacterium vitis. Also disclosed are isolated DNA molecules which encode such proteins or polypeptides. The protein or polypeptide in accordance with the present invention and the isolated DNA molecule that encode them have the following activities: imparting disease resistance to plants, enhancing plant growth, improving nutritional values, imparting stress tolerance, and/or controlling insects on plants. This can be achieved by applying the protein or polypeptide in a non-infectious from to plants or plant seeds under conditions effective to impart disease resistance, to enhance plant growth, to improve nutritional values, to enhance stress tolerance, and/or to control insects on plants or plants grown from the plant seeds. Alternatively, transgenic plants or plant seeds transformed with a DNA molecule encoding the protein and polypeptide can be provided and the transgenic plants or plants resulting from the transgenic plant seeds are grown under conditions effective to impart disease resistance, to enhance plant growth, to improve nutritional values, to enhance stress tolerance, and/or to control insects on plants or plants grown from the plant seeds.
