The present invention is directed to an isolated protein which serves as a receptor in plants for a plant pathogen hypersensitive response elicitor. Also disclosed are nucleic acid molecules encoding such receptors as well as expression vectors, host cells, transgenic plants, and transgenic plant seeds containing such nucleic acid molecules. Both the protein and nucleic acid can be used to identify agents targeting plant cells to enhance a plant's receptivity to treatment with a hypersensitive response elicitor and to directly impart plant growth enhancement as well as resistance against disease, insects, and stress.