Genetic transformation of human ceils by a soil phytopathogen presents common molecular strategies

摘要

Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a Gram negative, soil bacterium that causes crown gall disease in many crops, This soil phytopathogen has been extensively researched and used in plant genetic engineering, This is by virtue of the fact that Agrobacteriumis capable of modifying the plant cell genome by the insertion of a piece of its plasmid DNA, So far, genetic transformation by Agrobacterium is the only known natural example of trans-kingdom DNA transfer into plants. Agro-bacterium infection requires the presence of genetic components like the transferred DNA (T-DNA) on tumour inducing (Ti) plasmid and virulence loci on Ti plasmid (vir genes) and on chromosome (chv genes), Physical contact of the bacterial cells onto wounded plant cell surface is a pre-iequisite that results from the chemotactic attraction of bacterial cells toward wounded plant cells.