Abstract
Agrobacterium tumefaciens has a unique ability to transfer genes into plant genomes. This ability has been utilized for plant genetic engineering. However, the efficiency is not sufficient for all plant species. Several studies have shown that ethylene decreased the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation frequency. Thus, A. tumefaciens with an ability to suppress ethylene evolution would increase the efficiency of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Some studies showed that plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can reduce ethylene levels in plants through 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase, which cleaves the ethylene precursor ACC into α-ketobutyrate and ammonia, resulting in reduced ethylene production. The whole genome sequence data showed that A. tumefaciens does not possess an ACC deaminase gene in its genome. Therefore, providing ACC deaminase activity to the bacteria would improve gene transfer. As expected, A. tumefaciens with ACC deaminase activity, designated as super-Agrobacterium, could suppress ethylene evolution and increase the gene transfer efficiency in several plant species. In this review, we summarize plant–Agrobacterium interactions and their applications for improving Agrobacterium-mediated genetic engineering techniques via super-Agrobacterium.
Highlights
Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a soil-borne bacterium known to cause crown gall disease in plants
We focus on the effect of ethylene on Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer into plant cells and introduce an engineering strategy by which to increase the transformation efficiency of A. tumefaciens via ethylene removal
Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is an important tool for plant genetic engineering
Summary
Gene Research Center, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan. Agrobacterium tumefaciens has a unique ability to transfer genes into plant genomes. This ability has been utilized for plant genetic engineering. Several studies have shown that ethylene decreased the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation frequency. A. tumefaciens with an ability to suppress ethylene evolution would increase the efficiency of Agrobacteriummediated transformation. The whole genome sequence data showed that A. tumefaciens does not possess an ACC deaminase gene in its genome. Providing ACC deaminase activity to the bacteria would improve gene transfer. A. tumefaciens with ACC deaminase activity, designated as super-Agrobacterium, could suppress ethylene evolution and increase the gene transfer efficiency in several plant species. We summarize plant– Agrobacterium interactions and their applications for improving Agrobacterium-mediated genetic engineering techniques via super-Agrobacterium
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call