Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Conjugal Transfer of Agrobacterium Plasmids

  • Chapter
Bacterial Conjugation

Abstract

Agrobacterium and its virulence plasmids have been the center of attention for better than a decade. The capacity of this organism to transfer DNA to plant cells has resulted in a paradigm for transkingdom genetic exchange and also has provided an extraordinarily useful tool for the study of plant processes at the molecular level. The molecular details of the mechanism by which Agrobacterium transfers DNA to plants are becoming understood and are reviewed in Chapter 9 of this book. However, only a little more than 15 years ago, the theory that Agrobacterium transferred DNA to plants, first seriously proposed by Petit et al (76), was subject to some doubt. To set the scene, early reports on the presence of bacterial DNA in tumor cells based on filter hybridization experiments (82, 92, 93, 97) were being challenged (25, 36) and results from renaturation kinetic analyses (9) provided no evidence to substantiate the model. However, all of these hybridization experiments suffered from one deficiency or another. The renaturation kinetic analyses, for example, although extremely sensitive, by their design could not detect specific sequences representing less than 5% of the probe even if present at a high copy number. Because the probes used in these studies were total bacterial genomic DNA, a set of specific sequences representing less than 250 kilobases (kb) would have gone undetected. These limitations were recognized, but in the days before recombinant DNA, technologies for developing more precise probes were extremely restricted. The problem of how to develop a set of specific candidate probes from a bacterium that lacked genetic systems such as F or bacteriophage X was daunting; the one hope at the time was that, if they did indeed exist, the specific sequences themselves might be associated with a plasmid in the virulent agrobacteria.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Alt-Mörbe, J., Kuhlmann, H., and Schröder, J., 1989, Differences in induction of Ti plasmid virulence genes virG and virD, and continued control of virD expression by four external factors, Mol. Plant Microbe Interact. 2: 301–308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Barker, R. F., Idler, K. B., Thompson, D. V, and Kemp, J. D., 1983, Nucleotide sequence of the T-DNA region from the Agrobacterium I octopine Ti plasmid pTi15955, Plant Mol. Biol. 2: 335–350.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Beck von Bodman, S., Hayman, G. T., and Farrand, S. K., 1992, Opine catabolism and conjugal transfer of the nopaline Ti plasmid pTiC58 are coordinately regulated by a single repressor, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89: 643–647.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Beck von Bodman, S., McCutchan, J. E., and Farrand, S. K., 1989, Characterization of conjugal transfer functions of Agrobacterium tumefaciens Ti plasmid pTiC58, J. Bacteriol. 171: 5281–5289.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Beijersbergen, A., Den Dulk-Ras, A., Schilperoort, R. A., and Hooykaas, P. J. J., 1992, Conjugative transfer by the virulence system of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Science 256: 1324–1327.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Buchanan-Wollaston, V., Passiatore, J. E., and Cannon, F., 1987, The mob and orti’ mobilization functions of a bacterial plasmid promote its transfer to plants, Nature (London) 328: 172–175.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Casse, F., Boucher, C., Julliot, J. S., Michel, M., Dénarié, J., 1979, Identification and characterization of large plasmids in Rhizobium meliloti using agarose gel electrophoresis, J. Gen. Microbiol. 113: 229–242.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Chang, M., and Crawford, I. P, 1990, The roles of indoleglycerol phosphate and the TrpI protein in the expression of trpBA from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Nucl. Acid Res. 18: 979–988.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Chilton, M.-D., Farrand, S. K., Levin, R., and Nester, E. W, 1976, RP4 promotion of transfer of a large Agrobacterium plasmid which confers virulence, Genetics 83: 609–618.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Chilton, M.-D., Currier, T C., Farrand, S. K., Bendich, A. J., Gordon, M. P., and Nester, E. W., 1974, Agrobacterium tumefaciens DNA and PS8 bacteriophage DNA not detected in crown gall tumors, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 71: 3672–3676.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Chilton, M.-D., Drummond, M. H., Merlo, D. J., Sciaky, D., Montoya, A. L., Gordon, M. P., and Nester, E. W., 1977, Stable incorporation of plasmid DNA into higher plant cells: the molecular basis of crown galltumorigenesis, Cell 11: 263–271.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Clare, B. G., Kerr, A., and Jones, D. A., 1990, Characterization of the nopaline catabolic plasmid in Agrobacterium radiobacter strains K84 and K1026 used for biological control of crown gall disease, Plasmid 28: 126–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Clewell, D. B., and Weaver, K. E., 1989, Sex pheromones and plasmid transfer in Streptococcus faecalis, Plasmid 21: 175–184.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Cook, D. M., and Farrand, S. K., 1992, The oriT region of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens Ti plasmid pTiC58 shares DNA sequence identity with the transfer origins of RSF1010 and RK2/RP4 and with T-region borders. J. Bacteriol. 174: 6238–6246.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. DeFlaun, M. F., and Levy, S. B., 1989, Genes and their varied hosts, in: Gene Transfer in the Environment ( S. B. Levy and R. V. Miller, eds.), McGraw-Hill, New York, pp. 1–32.

    Google Scholar 

  16. De Greve, H., Decraemer, H., Seurinck, J., van Montagu, M., and Schell, J., 1981, The functional organization of the octopine Agrobacterium tumefaciens plasmid pTiB6S3, Plasmid 6: 235–248.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. DeFramond, A. J, Barton, K. A., and Chilton, M.-D., 1983, Mini-Ti: a new vector strategy for plant genetic engineering, BiolTechnology 1: 262–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. DePicker, A., Stachel, S., Dhaese, P., Zambryski, P., and Goodman, H. M., 1982, Nopaline synthase: transcript mapping and DNA sequence, J. Mol. Appl. Genet. 1: 561–573.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Derbyshire, K. M., and Willens, N. S., 1987, Mobilization of the non-conjugative plasmid RSF1010: a genetic analysis of its origin of transfer, Mol. Gen. Genet. 206: 415–160.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Derbyshire, K. M., Hatfull, G., and Willens, N. S., 1987, Mobilization of the nonconjugative plasmid RSF1010: a genetic and DNA sequence analysis of the mobilization region, Mol. Gen. Genet. 206: 161–168.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Dessaux, Y., Petit, A., and Tempé, J., 1991, Opines in Agrobacterium biology, in: Molecular Signalling in Plant-Microbe Communication ( D. P S. Verma, ed.), pp. 137–169, CRC Press, Columbus, Ohio.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Dessaux, Y., Petit, A., Ellis, J. G., Legrain, C., Demarez, M., Wiame, J.-M.. Popoff, M., and Tempé, J., 1989, Ti plasmid-controlled chromosome transfer in Agrobacterium tumefaciens, J. Bacteriol. 171: 63636366.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Dion, P., 1986, Utilization of octopine by marine bacteria isolated from mollusks, Can. J. Microbiol. 32: 959–963.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Drolet, M., Zanga, P., and Lau, P. C. K., 1990, The mobilization and origin of transfer regions of a Thiobacillus ferrooxidans plasmid: relatedness to plasmids RSF1010 and pSC101, Molec. Microbiol. 4: 1381 1391.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Drummond, M. H., and Chilton, M.-D., 1978, Tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmids of Agrobacterium share extensive regions of DNA homology, J. Bacteriol. 136: 1178–1183.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Dunlap, P. V, and Greenberg, E. P., 1991, Role of intercellular chemical communication in the Vibrio fischeri-Monocentrid fish symbiosis, in: Microbial Cell–Cell Interactions, ( M. Dworkin, ed.), pp. 219–253, American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D. C.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Dunny, G. M., 1990, Genetic functions and cell-cell interactions in the pheromone-inducible plasmid transfer system of Enterococcus faecalis, Molec. Microbiol. 4: 689–696.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Eden, F C., Farrand, S. K., Powell, J. S., Bendich, A. J., Chilton, M.-D., Nester, E. W, and Gordon, M. P., 1974, Attempts to detect deoxyribonucleic acid from Agrobacterium tumefaciens and bacteriophage PS8 in crown gall tumors by complementary ribonucleic acid/deoxyribonucleic acid-filter hybridization, J. Bacteriol. 119: 547–553.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Ellis, J. G., and Murphy, P. J., 1981, Four new opines from crown gall tumours—their detection and properties, Mol. Gen. Genet. 181: 36–43.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Ellis, J. G., Murphy, P J., and Kerr, A., 1982a, Isolation and properties of transfer regulatory mutants of the nopaline Ti plasmid pTiC58, Mol. Gen. Genet. 186: 275–281.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Ellis, J. G., Kerr, A., Petit, A., and Tempé, J., 1982b, Conjugal transfer of nopaline and agropine Ti plasmids; the role of agrocinopines, Mol. Gen. Genet. 186: 269–274.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Ellis, J. G., Kerr, A., Tempé, J., and Petit, A., 1979a, Arginine catabolism, a new function of both octopine and nopaline Ti plasmids of Agrobacterium, Mol. Gen. Genet. 173: 263–269.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Ellis, J. G., Kerr, A., van Montagu, M., and Schell. J., 1979b, Agrobacterium: genetic studies on agrocin 84 production and the biological control of crown gall, Physiol. Plant Pathol. 15: 311–319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Engler, G., DePicker, A., Maenhaut, R., Villarroel, R., van Montagu, M., and Schell, J., 1981, Physical mapping of DNA base sequence homologies between an octopine and a nopaline Ti plasmid of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, J. Mol. Biol. 152: 183–208.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Farrand, S. K., 1989, Conjugal transfer of bacterial genes on plants, in: Gene Transfer in the Environment ( S. Levy and R. V. Miller, eds.), McGraw-Hill, New York, pp. 261–286.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Farrand, S. K., 1990, Agrobacterium radiobacter strain K84: a model biocontrol system, In: New Directions in Biological Control (R. R. Baker and P. E. Dunn, eds.), Alan R. Liss, New York, pp. 679–691.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Farrand, S. K., 1991Biological control of microbial plant pathogens through antibiosis, in: CRC Handbook of Pest Management in Agriculture2nd ed., Vol. II (D. Pimentel, ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp. 311–329.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Farrand, S. K., and Dessaux, Y., 1986, Praline biosynthesis encoded by the noc and occ loci of Agrobacterium Ti plasmids, J. Bacteriol. 167: 732–734.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Farrand, S. K., Eden, F. C., and Chilton, M.-D., 1975, Attempts to detect Agrobacterium tumefaciens and bacteriophage PS8 DNA in crown gall tumors by DNA-DNA filter hybridization, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 390: 264–275.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Farrand, S. K., Slota, J. E., Shim, J.-S., and Kerr, A., 1985, Tn5 insertions in the agrocin 84 plasmid: the conjugal nature of pAgK84 and the locations of determinants for transfer and agrocin 84 production, Plasmid 13: 106–117.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Farrand, S. K., Wang, C.-L., Hong, S.-B., O’Morchoe, S. B., and Slota, J. E., 1992, Deletion derivatives of pAgK84 and their use in the analysis of Agrobacterium plasmid functions, Plasmid 28: 201–212.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Fürste, J. P., Pansegrau, W., Zieglin, G., and Lanka, E., 1989, Conjugative transfer of promiscuous InP plasmids: interaction of plasmid-encoded products with the transfer origin, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86: 1771–1775.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Gade, G., 1980, Biological role of octopine formation in marine molluscs, Mar. Biol. Lett. 1:121–135. 39a. Gambello, M. J., and Iglewski, B. H., 1991, Cloning and characterization of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa lasR gene, a transcriptional activator of elastase expression, J. Bacteriol. 173: 3000–3009.

    Google Scholar 

  44. Gelvin, S. B., and Habeck, L. L., 1990, Vir genes influence conjugal transfer of the Ti plasmid of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, J. Bacteriol. 172: 1600–1608.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Genetello, C., van Larebeke, N., Holsters, M., De Picker, A., van Montagu, M., and Schell, J., 1977, Ti plasmids of Agrobacterium as conjugative plasmids, Nature (London) 265: 561–563.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Goldberg, S. B., Flick, J. S., and Rogers, S. G., 1984, Nucleotide sequence of the tmr locus of Agrobacterium tumefaciens pTi T37 T-DNA, Nucl. Acid Res. 12: 4665–4677.

    Google Scholar 

  47. Guyon, P., Chilton, M.-D., Petit, A., and Tempé, J., 1980, Agropine in “null-type” crown gall tumors; evidence for the generality of the opine concept, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 77: 2693–2697.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. Habeeb, L., Wang, L., and Winans, S. C., 1991, Transcription of the octopine catabolism operon of the Agrobacterium tumor-inducing plasmid pTiA6 is activated by a LysR-type regulatory protein, Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 4: 379–385.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Hamilton, R. H., and Chopin, M. N., 1975, Transfer of the tumor-inducing factor in Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 63: 349–354.

    Google Scholar 

  50. Hamilton, R. H., and Fall, M. Z., 1971, The loss of tumor-initiating ability in Agrobacterium tumefaciens by incubation at high temperatures, Experentia 27: 229–230.

    Google Scholar 

  51. Hayman, G. T, and Farrand, S. K., 1988, Characterization and mapping of the agrocinopine-agrocin 84 locus on the nopaline Ti plasmid pTiC58, J. Bacteriol. 170: 1759–1767.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  52. Hayman, G. T, and Farrand, S. K., 1990, Agrobacterium plasmids encode structurally and functionally different loci for catabolism of agrocinopine-type opines, Mol. Gen. Genet. 223: 465–473.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  53. Holmes, B., and Roberts, P., 1981, The classification, identification and nomenclature of Agrobacteria, J. Appl. Bacteriol. 50: 443–467.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  54. Holsters, M., Silva, B., Genetello, C., Engler, G., van Vliet, F, De Block, M., Villaroel, R., van Montagu, M., and Schell, J., 1978, Spontaneous formation of cointegrates of the oncogenic Ti-plasmid and the wide-host range P-plasmid RP4, Plasmid 1: 456–467.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  55. Holsters, M., Silva, B., van Vliet, F., Genetello, C., De Bock, M., Dhaese, P., De Picker, A., Inze, D., Engler, G., Villarroel, R., van Montagu, M., and Schell, J., 1980, The functional organization of the nopaline A. tumefaciens plasmid pTiC58, Plasmid 3: 212–230.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  56. Hooykaas, P. J. J., Roobol, C., and Schilperoort, R. A., 1979, Regulation of the transfer of Ti plasmids of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, J. Gen. Microbiol. 110: 99–109.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  57. Hooykaas, P. J. J., Klapwijk, P. M., Nuti, M. P., Schilperoort, R. A., and Rörsch, A., 1977, Transfer of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens Ti plasmid to avirulent agrobacteria and to Rhizobium ex planta, J. Gen. Microbiol. 98: 477–484.

    Google Scholar 

  58. Hooykaas, P. J. J., van Brussel, A. A. N., den Dulk-Ras, H., van Slogteren, G. M. S., and Schilperoort, R. A., 1981, Sym-plasmid of Rhizobium trifolii expressed in different rhizobial species in Agrobacterium tunufaciens, Nature (London) 291: 351–353.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  59. Hynes, M. F., Simon, R., and Pühler, A., 1985, The development of plasmid-free strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens by using incompatibility with a Rhizobium meliloti plasmid to eliminate pAtC58, Plasmid 13: 99–105.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  60. Jones, D. A., Ryder, M. H., Clare, B. G., Farrand, S. K., and Kerr, A., 1988, Construction of a Tra-deletion mutant of pAgK84 to safeguard the biological control of crown gall, Mol. Gen. Genet. 212: 207–214.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  61. Kerr, A., 1969, Transfer of virulence between isolates of Agrobacterium, Nature (London) 223: 1175–1176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  62. Kerr, A., 1971, Acquisition of virulence by non-pathogenic isolates of Agrobacterium radiobacter, Physiol. Plant Pathol. 1: 241–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  63. Kerr, A., Manigault, P., and Tempé, J., 1977, Transfer of virulence in vivo and in vitro in Agrobacterium, Nature (London) 265: 560–561.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  64. Kersters, K., De Ley, J., Sneath, P H. A., and Sackin, M., 1973, Numerical taxonomic analysis of Agrobacterium, J. Gen. Microbiol. 78: 227–239.

    Google Scholar 

  65. Klapwijk, R M., and Schilperoort, R. A., 1979, Negative control of octopine degradation and transfer genes of octopine Ti plasmids in Agrobacterium tumefaciens, J. Bacteriol. 139: 424–431.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  66. Klapwijk, R M., Scheulderman, T., and Schilperoort, R. A., 1978, Coordinated regulation of octopine degradation and conjugative transfer of Ti plasmids in Agrobacterium tumefaciens: evidence for a common regulatory gene and separate operons, J. Bacteriol. 136: 775–785.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  67. Klee, H., Montoya, A., Horodyski, E, Lichtenstein, C., Garfinkle, D., Fuller, S., Flores, C., Peschon, J., Nester, E. W, and Gordon, M. P., 1984, Nucleotide sequence of the tms genes of the pTiA6NC octopine Ti plasmid: two gene products involved in plant tumorigenesis, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 81: 1728–1732.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  68. Koekman, B. P., Ooms, G., Klapwijk, P. M., and Schilperoort, R. A., 1979, Genetic map of an octopine Tiplasmid, Plasmid 2: 347–357.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  69. Less!, M., Schilf, W, and Lanka, E., 1991, Dissection of the transfer region Tra2 of plasmid RP4: the entry exclusion function requires two cistrons. Abstract. EMBO Workshop: Bacterial Conjugation Systems, pp. 27–29.

    Google Scholar 

  70. Liao, C. H., and Heberlein, G. T., 1978, A method for the transfer of tumorigenicity between strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens in carrot root disks, Phytopathology 68: 135–137.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  71. Lichtenstein, C., Klee, H., Montoya, A., Garfinkle, D., Fuller, S., Flores, C., Nester, E., and Gordon, M., Nucleotide sequence and transcript mapping of the tmr gene of the pTiA6NC octopine Ti-plasmid: a bacterial gene involved in plant tumorigenesis, J. Mol. Appl. Genet. 2: 354–362.

    Google Scholar 

  72. Lindberg, M., and Norberg, T., 1988, Synthesis of sucrose 4’-(L-arabinose-2-y1 phosphate) (agrocinopine A) using an arabinose 2-H-phosphonate intermediate, J. Carbohydr. Chem. 7: 749–755.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  73. Melchers, L. S., Thompson, D. V., Idler, K. B., Neuteboom, S. T. C., de Maagd, R. A., Schilperoort, R. A., and Hooykaas, R. J. J., I987a, Molecular characterization of the virulence gene virA of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens octopine Ti plasmid, Plant Mol. Biol. U:227–237.

    Google Scholar 

  74. Merlo, D. J., and Nester, E. W, 1977, Plasmids in avirulent strains of Agrobacterium, J. Bacteriol. 129: 76–80.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  75. New, P. B., and Kerr, A., 1972, Biological control of crown gall: field measurements and glasshouse experiments, J. Appl. Bacteriol. 35: 279–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  76. O’Connell, M. P., Hynes, M. F., and Puehler, A., 1987, Incompatibility between a Rhizobium Sym plasmid and a Ri plasmid of Agrobacterium, Plasmid 18: 156–163.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  77. Panagopoulos, C. G., Psallidas, P. G., and Alvizatos, A. S., 1979, Evidence of a breakdown in the effectiveness of biological control of crown gall, in: Soil-Borne Plant Pathogens ( B. Schippers and W. Gams, eds.), Academic Press, London, pp. 570–578.

    Google Scholar 

  78. Pansegrau, W., and Lanka, E., 1991, Common sequence motifs in DNA relaxases and nick regions from a variety of DNA transfer systems, Nucl. Acid Res. 19: 3455.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  79. Petit, A., and Tempé, J., 1978, Isolation of Agrobacterium Ti plasmid regulatory mutants, Mol. Gen. Genet. 167: 147–155.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  80. Petit, A., Delhaye, S., Tempé, J., and Morel, G., 1970, Recherches sur les guanidines des tissus de crown gall. Mise en évedence d’une relation biochemique spécifie entre les souches d’Agrobacterium tumefaciens et les tumeurs qu’elles induisent, Physiol. Veg. 8: 205–213.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  81. Petit, A., Dessaux, Y., and Tempé, J., 1978a, The biological significance of opines. I. A study of opine catabolism by Agrobacterium tumefaciens, in: Proc. 4th Internati. Congr. Plant Pathogen. Bacter. ( M. Ridé, ed.), INRA, Angers, pp. 143–152.

    Google Scholar 

  82. Petit, A., Tempé, J., Kerr, A., Holsters, M., van Montagu, M., and Schell, J., 1978b, Substrate induction of conjugative activity of Agrobacterium tumefaciens Ti plasmids, Nature (London) 271: 570–572.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  83. Petit, A., David, C., Dahl, G. A., Ellis, J. G., Guyon, P., Casse-Delbart, F., and Tempé, J., 1983, Further extension of the opine concept: plasmids in Agrobacterium rhizogenes cooperate for opine degradation, Mol. Gen. Genet. 190: 204–214.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  84. a. Piper, K. R., Beck von Bodman, S., and Farrand, S. K., 1993. Nature (in press).

    Google Scholar 

  85. Porter, S. G., Yanofsky, M. E, and Nester, E. W, 1987, Molecular characterization of the virD operon from Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Nucl. Acid Res. 15: 7503–7513.

    Google Scholar 

  86. Prakash, R. K., and Schilperoort, R. A., 1982, Relationship between Nif plasmids of fast-growing Rhizobium species and Ti plasmids of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, J. Bacteriol. 149: 1129–1134.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  87. Quétier, F, Huguet, T, and Guillé, E., 1969, Induction of crown gall: partial homology between tumor-cell DNA, bacterial DNA, and the GC-rich DNA of stressed normal cells, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 34: 128–133.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  88. Ream, W, 1989, Agrobacterium tumefaciens and interkingdom genetic exchange, Annu. Rev. Phytopathol. 27: 583–618.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  89. Riker, A. J., 1926, Studies on the influence of some environmental factors on the development of crown gall, J. Agricult. Res. 32: 83–96.

    Google Scholar 

  90. Rogowsky, P. M., Close, T J., Chimera, J., Shaw, J. J., and Kado, C. I., 1987, Regulation of the vir genes of Agrobacterium tumefaciens plasmid pTiC58, J. Bacteriol. 169: 5101–5112.

    Google Scholar 

  91. Rogowsky, P. M., Powell, B. S., Shirasu, K., Lin, T-S., Morel, P., Zyprian, E. M., Steck, T. R., and Kado, C. I., 1990, Molecular characterization of the vir regulon of Agrobacterium tumefaciens: complete nucleotide sequence and gene organization of the 28.63-kbp regulon cloned as a single unit, Plasmid 23: 85–106.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  92. Rosenberg, C., and Huguet, T, 1984, The pAtC58 plasmid of Agrobacterium tumefaciens is not essential for tumour induction, Mol. Gen. Genet. 196: 533–536.

    Google Scholar 

  93. Ryder, M. H., Tate, M. E., and Jones, G. P., 1984, Agrocinopine A, a tumor-inducing plasmid-coded enzyme product, is a phosphodiester of sucrose and L-arabinose, J. Bid. Chem. 259: 9704–9710.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  94. Ryder, M. H., Slota, J. E., Scarim, A., and Farrand, S. K., 1987, Genetic analysis of agrocin 84 production and immunity in Agrobacterium spp., J. Bacteriol. 169: 4184–4189.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  95. Sans, N., Schindler, U., and Schröder, J., 1988, Ornithine cyclodeaminase from Ti plasmid pTiC58: DNA sequence, enzyme properties, and regulation of activity by arginine, Eur. J. Biochem. 173: 123–130.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  96. Schell, J., 1975, The role of plasmids in crown gall formation by A. tumefaciens. In: Genetic Manipulation with Plant Materials (L. Ledoux, ed.), Plenum Press, New York, pp. 163–181.

    Google Scholar 

  97. Schell, M. A., Brown, P. H., and Raju, S., 1990, Use of saturation mutagenesis to localize probable functional domains in the NahR protein, a LysR-type transcriptional activator, J. Bid. Chem. 265: 3844–3850.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  98. Schilperoort, R. A., Veldstra, H., Warnaar, S. O., Mulder, G., and Cohen, S. A., 1967, Formation of complexes between DNA isolated from tobacco crown gall tumours and RNA complementary to Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 145: 523–525.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  99. Schilperoort, R. A., van Sittert, N. J., and Schell, J., 1973, The presence of both phage PS8 and Agrobacterium tumefaciens A6 DNA base sequences in A6-induced sterile crown gall tissue cultured in vitro, Eur. J. Biochem. 33: 1–7.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  100. Schindler, U., Sans, N., and Schröder, J., 1989, Ornithine cyclodeaminase from octopine Ti plasmid AchS: identification, DNA sequence, enzyme properties and comparison with gene and enzyme from nopaline Ti plasmid C58, J. Bacteriol. 171: 847–854.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  101. Schrell, A., Alt-Mörbe, J., Lanz, T, and Schröder, J., 1989, Arginase of Agrobacterium Ti plasmid C58—DNA sequence, properties and comparison with eucaryotic enzymes, Eur. J. Biochem. 184: 635–641.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  102. Sciaky, D., Montoya, A. L., and Chilton, M.-D., 1978, Fingerprints of Agrobacteriurn Ti plasmids, Plasmid 1: 238–253.

    Google Scholar 

  103. Shrivastava, B. I. S., 1970, DNA-DNA hybridization studies between bacterial DNA, crown gall tumor cell DNA and normal cell DNA, Life Sci. 9: 889–892.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  104. Slota, J. E., and Farrand, S. K., 1982, Genetic isolation and physical characterization of pAgK84, the plasmid responsible for agrocin 84 production, Plasmid 8: 175–186.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  105. Spinzl, M., and Geider, K., 1988, Transfer of the Ti plasmid from Agrobacterium tumefaciens into Escherichia coli cell, J. Gen. Microbiol. 134: 413–424.

    Google Scholar 

  106. Stachel, S. E., and Zambryski, P. C., 1986, Agrobacterium tumefaciens and the susceptible plant cell: a novel adaptation of extracellular recognition and DNA conjugation, Cell 47: 155–157.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  107. Stemmer, W. P C., and Sequeira, L., 1987, Fimbriae of phytopathogenic and symbiotic bacteria, Phytopathology 77: 1633–1639.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  108. Steck, T R., and Kado, C. I., 1990, Virulence genes promote conjugative transfer of the Ti plasmid between Agrobacterium strains, J. Bacteriol. 172: 2191–2193.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  109. Tabata, S., Hooykaas, P. J. J., and Oka, A., 1989, Sequence determination and characterization of the replicator region in the tumor-inducing plasmid pTiB6S3, J. Bacteriol. 171: 1665–1672.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  110. Tempé, J., and Petit, A., 1983, La piste des opines, in: Molecular Generics of the Bacteria-Plant Interaction ( A. Púhler, ed.), Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 14–32.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  111. Tempé, J., Petit, A., and Farrand, S. K., 1984, Induction of cell proliferation by Agrobacterium tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes: a parasite’s point of view, in: Plant Gene Research, Genes Involved in Microbe-Plant Interactions ( D. P S. Verna and T. Hohn, eds.), Springer-Verlag Wein, New York, pp. 271–286.

    Google Scholar 

  112. Tempé, J., Petit, A., Holsters, M., van Montagu, M., and Schell, J., 1977, Thermosensitive step associated with transfer of the Ti plasmid during conjugation: possible relation to transformation, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 74: 2848–2849.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  113. Unger, L., Ziegler, S. F., Huffman, G. A., Knauf, ‘V. C., Peet, R., Moore, L. W., Gordon, M. P., and Nester, E. W, 1985, New class of limited host-range Agrobacterium mega-tumor-inducing plasmids lacking homology to the transferred DNA of a wide host-range, tumor-inducing plasmid, J. Bacteriol. 164: 723–730.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  114. Valdivia, R. H., Wang, L., and Winans, S. C., 1991, Characterization of a putative periplasmic transport system for the accumulation of octopine encoded by the Agrobacterium tumefaciens Ti plasmid pTiA6, J. Bacteriol. 173: 6398–6405.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  115. Van Larebeke, N., Engler, G., Holsters, M., van den Elsacker, S., Zaenen, I., Schilperoort, R. A., and Schell, J., 1974, Large plasmid in Agrobacterium tumefaciens essential for crown gall-inducing ability, Nature (London) 252: 169–170.

    Google Scholar 

  116. Van Larebeke, N., Genetello, C., Schell, J., Schilperoort, R. A., Heymans, A. K., Hernalsteens, J. P., and van Montagu, M., 1975, Acquisition of tumor-inducing ability by non-oncogenic bacteria as a result of plasmid transfer, Nature (London) 255: 742–743.

    Google Scholar 

  117. Van Larebeke, N., Genetello, C., Hemalsteens, J. P., DePicker, A., Zaenen, I., Messens, E., van Montagu, M., and Schell, J., 1977, Transfer of Ti-plasmids between Agrobacterium strains by mobilization with the conjugative plasmid RP4, Mol. Gen. Genet. 152: 119–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  118. Van Montagu, M., and Schell, J., 1979, The plasmids of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, in: Plasmids of Medical, Environmental and Commercial Importance ( K. N. Timmis and A. Pühler, eds.), Elsevier/North Holland Biomedical Press, Amsterdam, pp. 71–95.

    Google Scholar 

  119. Veluthambi, K., Jayaswal, R. K., and Gelvin, S. B., 1987, Virulence genes A, G, and D mediate the double-stranded border cleavage of T DNA from the Agrobacterium Ti plasmid, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84: 1881–1885.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  120. Veluthambi, K., Krishnan, M., Gould, J. H., Smith, R. H., and Gelvin, S. B., 1989, Opines stimulate induction of the vir genes of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens Ti plasmid, J. Bacteriol. 171: 3696–3703.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  121. Von Lintig, J., Zanker, H., and Schröder, J., 1991, Positive regulators of opine-inducible promoters in the nopaline and octopine catabolism regions of Ti plasmids, Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 4: 370–378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  122. Wang, K., Stachel, S. E., Timmerman, B., van Montagu, M., and Zambryski, P. C., 1987, Site-specific nick in the T-DNA border sequence as a result of Agrobacterium vir gene expression, Science 235: 587–591.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  123. Ward, J. E., Dale, E. M., and Binns, A. N., 1991, Activity of the Agrobacterium T-DNA transfer machinery is affected by virB gene products, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88: 9350–9354.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  124. Ward, J. E., Akiyoshi, D. E., Regier, D., Dana, A., Gordon, M. P., and Nester, E. W, 1988, Characterization of the virB operon from an Agrobacterium tumefaciens Ti plasmid, J. Biol. Chem. 263: 5804–5814.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  125. Waters, V. L., Hirata, K. H., Pansegrau, W, and Guiney, D. G., 1991, Sequence identity in the nick regions of IncP plasmid transfer origins and T-DNA borders of Agrobacrerium Ti plasmids, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88: 1456–1460.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  126. Watson, B., Currier, T. C., Gordon, M. P., Chilton, M.-D., and Nester, E. W., 1975, Plasmid required for virulence of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, J. Bacteriol. 123: 255–264.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  127. Weisburg, W. G., Woese, C. R., Dobson, M. E., and Weiss, E., 1985, A common origin of Rickettsiae and certain plant pathogens, Science 230: 556–558.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  128. White, F. F, and Nester, E. W, 1980, The relationship of the plasmids responsible for hairy root and crown gall tumorigenicity, J. Bacteriol. 144: 710–720.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  129. White, L. 0., 1972, The taxonomy of the crown-gall organism Agrobacterium tumefaciens and its relationship to rhizobia and other agrobacteria, J. Gen. Microbiol. 72: 565–574.

    Google Scholar 

  130. Willens, N., and Wilkins, B., 1984, Processing of plasmid DNA during bacterial conjugation, Microbiol. Rev. 48: 24–41.

    Google Scholar 

  131. Winans, S. C., Ebert, P R., Stachel, S. E., Gordon, M. P., and Nester, E. W, 1986, A gene essential for Agrobacterium virulence is homologous to a family of positive regulatory loci, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83: 8278–8282.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  132. Winans, S. C., Kerstetter, R. A., and Nester, E. W, 1988, Transcriptional regulation of the virA and virG genes of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, J. Bacteriol. 170: 4047–4054.

    Google Scholar 

  133. Winans, S., Allenza, P., Stachel, S., McBride, K., and Nester, E., 1987, Characterization of the virE operon of the Agrobacterium Ti plasmid pTiA6, Nucl. Acid Res. 15: 825–837.

    Google Scholar 

  134. Yadav, N. S., Vanderleyden, J., Bennett, D. R., Barnes, W. M., and Chilton, M.-D., 1982, Short direct repeats flank the T-DNA on a nopaline Ti plasmid, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 79: 6322–6326.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  135. Zaenen, I., van Larebeke, N., Teuchy, N., van Montagu, M., and Schell, J., 1974, Supercoiled circular DNA in crown gall inducing Agrobacterium strains, J. Mol. Biol. 86: 109–127.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  136. Zambryski, P., 1988, Basic processes underlying Agrobacterium-mediated DNA transfer to plant cells, Annu. Rev. Genet. 22: 1–30.

    Google Scholar 

  137. Zhang, L., and Kerr, A., 1991, A diffusible compound can enhance conjugal transfer of the Ti plasmid in Agrobacterium tumefaciens, J. Bacteriol. 173: 1867–1872.

    Google Scholar 

  138. Zhang, L., Murphy, P. J., Kerr, A., and Tate, M. E., Agrobacterium conjugation and gene regulation by N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones. Nature (in press).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, 61801, USA

    Stephen K. Farrand

Authors
  1. Stephen K. Farrand
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, School of Dentistry and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, The University of Michigan, 48109-0402, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Don B. Clewell

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1993 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Farrand, S.K. (1993). Conjugal Transfer of Agrobacterium Plasmids. In: Clewell, D.B. (eds) Bacterial Conjugation. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9357-4_10

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9357-4_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-306-44376-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-9357-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation