Abstract
The production of agrocin 84 by Agrobacterium radiobacter strain K84 is the basis of a commercially successful biological control of crown gall disease. Sensitivity to agrocin 84, a fradulent adenine nucleotide analogue, is restricted to certain A. tumefaciens isolates and is related to the capacity of these isolates to catabolize a class of tumor-produced opines called the agrocinopines. Thus agrocin 84 sensitivity is a function of Ti plasmid encoded activities. Failures in field control have been reported and we have been investigating the genetics and molecular biology of agrocin 84 production in the hopes of developing improved biological control agents. Early studies indicated that agrocin 84 production is encoded by a small plasmid in strain K84. We have isolated and physically characterized this 48-kb plasmid, pAgK84, and Tn5 mutagenesis has allowed us to map the regions of this plasmid involved in agrocin 84 production to an essentially continuous 20 kb segment. Mutant analysis and genetic complementation suggest that as many as six closely linked loci may be required for agrocin 84 production. In addition, analysis using recombinant clones has allowed us to map the agrocin 84 immunity function to two separate loci on the plasmid, one at each of the agrocin 84 biosynthesis region. Because agrocin 84 sensitivity appears to be Ti plasmid-dependent, we have analyzed the region of pTiC58 encoding this trait. Cosmid clones of this Ti plasmid have been isolated which confer agrocin 84 sensitivity on a Ti plasmidless A. tumefaciens strain. Strains harboring such cosmid clones are capable of transporting agrocinopine A. Analysis of cosmid overlaps and also of transposon insertions confines the agrocin sensitivity locus to a six-kb region of the Ti plasmid.
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© 1987 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht
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Farrand, S.K., Ryder, M.H., Hayman, G.T., O’Morchoe, S.B., Shim, JS., Kerr, A. (1987). Genetics and Molecular Biology of Agrocin Production and Sensitivity in Agrobacterium . In: Civerolo, E.L., Collmer, A., Davis, R.E., Gillaspie, A.G. (eds) Plant Pathogenic Bacteria. Current Plant Science and Biotechnology in Agriculture, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3555-6_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3555-6_6
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