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The mob and oriT mobilization functions of a bacterial plasmid promote its transfer to plants

Nature volume 328, pages 172–175 (1987)Cite this article

Abstract

Crown gall and hairy root formation in plants involve the transfer of a DNA segment (T-DNA) from Agrobacterium to plant cells. The T-DNA, along with the vir genes which are essential for the DNA transfer process, is carried on a large tumour-inducing (Ti) plasmid in Agrobacterium tumefaciens (see refs 1 and 2 for review). The transfer of T-DNA, the only known case of naturally occurring DNA transfer from bacteria to plants, has been extensively exploited for the genetic transformation of plants3. Conjugal transfer of DNA between bacteria involves the transfer (tra) and mobilization (mob) gene products. The mob proteins nick DNA at the origin of transfer (oriT) and initiate single-stranded transfer of the DNA into the recipient bacterium (see ref. 4 for review). We report here that the mobilization functions on the naturally occurring wide-host-range plasmid RSF1010 can mediate the transfer of plasmids from Agrobacterium into plant cells as well as transfer between bacteria. This suggests that plants have access to the gene pool of Gram-negative bacteria.

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  1. BioTechnica International, Inc., 85 Bolton Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02140, USA

    Vicky Buchanan-Wollaston, Joan E. Passiatore & Frank Cannon

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  1. Vicky Buchanan-Wollaston
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  2. Joan E. Passiatore
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Buchanan-Wollaston, V., Passiatore, J. & Cannon, F. The mob and oriT mobilization functions of a bacterial plasmid promote its transfer to plants. Nature 328, 172–175 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/328172a0

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