Agrobacterium tumefaciens: from crown gall tumors to genetic transformation

Daniel I. Pacurar, Hans Thordal-Christensen, Monica L. Pacurar, Doru Pamfil, Constantin Botez, Catherine Bellini

    46 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The phytopathogenic bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens is the causative agent of crown gall disease on a broad range of plant species. For more than a century this pathogen has fascinated biologists for various reasons. It has been believed that disclosing the mystery of the crown gall tumour disease in plants might help to understand the mechanisms of oncogenesis in general, and eventually use this knowledge to cure cancer in animals and humans. However, as the performer of the only known case of trans-kingdom DNA transfer, this natural genetic engineer is recognised by nowadays biologists particularly for this feature, and Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation has become the preferred method to generate transgenic plants. This review briefly highlights the key steps in DNA transfer during natural A. tumefaciens infection and the subsequent development of crown gall disease. It will focus on the adaptation and use of this proof of principle for the purpose of genetic transformation.

    Original languageEnglish
    JournalPhysiological and Molecular Plant Pathology
    Volume76
    Issue number2
    Pages (from-to)76-81
    Number of pages6
    ISSN0885-5765
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Aug 2011

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