Agrobacterium Attachment Research Articles

Constitutive expression of the tzs gene from Agrobacterium tumefaciens virG mutant strains is responsible for improved transgenic plant regeneration in cotton meristem transformation.

KEY MESSAGE : virG mutant strains of a nopaline type of Agrobacterium tumefaciens increase the transformation frequency in cotton meristem transformation. Constitutive cytokinin expression from the tzs gene in the virG mutant strains is responsible for the improvement. Strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens were tested for their ability to improve cotton meristem transformation frequency. Two disarmed A. tumefaciens nopaline strains with either a virGN54D constitutively active mutation or virGI77V hypersensitive induction mutation significantly increased the transformation frequency in a cotton meristem transformation system. The virG mutant strains resulted in greener explants after three days of co-culture in the presence of light, which could be attributed to a cytokinin effect of the mutants. A tzs knockout strain of virGI77V mutant showed more elongated, less green explants and decreased cotton transformation frequency, as compared to a wild type parental strain, suggesting that expression of the tzs gene is required for transformation frequency improvement in cotton meristem transformation. In vitro cytokinin levels in culture media were tenfold higher in the virGN54D strain, and approximately 30-fold higher in the virGI77V strain, in the absence of acetosyringone induction, compared to the wild type strain. The cytokinin level in the virGN54D strain is further increased upon acetosyringone induction, while the cytokinin level in the virGI77V mutant is decreased by induction, suggesting that different tzs gene expression regulation mechanisms are present in the two virG mutant strains. Based on these data, we suggest that the increased cytokinin levels play a major role in increasing Agrobacterium attachment and stimulating localized division of the attached plant cells.

Editorial: "Agrobacterium biology and its application to transgenic plant production".

Editorial: "Agrobacterium biology and its application to transgenic plant production".

A method to overcome the waxy surface, cell wall thickening and polyphenol induced necrosis at wound sites - the major deterrents to Agrobacterium mediated transformation of bamboo, a woody monocot

The method is the first successful report of Agrobacterium mediated genetic transformation of the commercially important bamboo, Dendrocalamus hamiltonii. It shows how the resistance provided by the somatic embryos of this woody monocot can be overcome using a simple and effective method. The method thus standardized can be also used for the genetic transformation of other important bamboos. Identification of the factors responsible for the resistance of the somatic embryos to Agrobacterium infection was an absolute requirement for devising a successful method. Necrosis due to polyphenol oxidation, lack of differentiation due to cell wall thickening at wound sites, waxy surfaces of somatic embryos with anti-microbial properties were found to prevent Agrobacterium attachment and infection. Therefore, the somatic embryos were transformed with fresh overnight grown Agrobacterium culture containing 500 mg/l polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and 0.01 % Tween-20 as surfactant followed by co-cultivation on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing the vir gene inducer acetosyringone (100 μM) and 1 mg/l 6-Benzylaminopurine BAP for 2 days. Persistent GUS expression and strong positive signals in PCR, slot blot and Southern hybridization confirmed successful genetic transformation.

Agrobacterium May Delay Plant Nonhomologous End-Joining DNA Repair via XRCC4 to Favor T-DNA Integration

Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a soilborne pathogen that causes crown gall disease in many dicotyledonous plants by transfer of a portion of its tumor-inducing plasmid (T-DNA) into the plant genome. Several plant factors that play a role in Agrobacterium attachment to plant cells and transport of T-DNA to the nucleus have been identified, but the T-DNA integration step during transformation is poorly understood and has been proposed to occur via nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ)-mediated double-strand DNA break (DSB) repair. Here, we report a negative role of X-ray cross complementation group4 (XRCC4), one of the key proteins required for NHEJ, in Agrobacterium T-DNA integration. Downregulation of XRCC4 in Arabidopsis and Nicotiana benthamiana increased stable transformation due to increased T-DNA integration. Overexpression of XRCC4 in Arabidopsis decreased stable transformation due to decreased T-DNA integration. Interestingly, XRCC4 directly interacted with Agrobacterium protein VirE2 in a yeast two-hybrid system and in planta. VirE2-expressing Arabidopsis plants were more susceptible to the DNA damaging chemical bleomycin and showed increased stable transformation. We hypothesize that VirE2 titrates or excludes active XRCC4 protein available for DSB repair, thus delaying the closure of DSBs in the chromosome, providing greater opportunity for T-DNA to integrate.

Role of vitronectin-like protein in Agrobacterium attachment and transformation of Arabidopsis cells

The role of plant vitronectin-like protein (Vn) in Agrobacterium-host plant interactions and receptor-specific bacterial attachment is unclear and still open to debate. Using a well-established Agrobacterium-mediated Arabidopsis transformation system, the marker gene beta-glucuronidase (GUS) of Escherichia coli, and biochemical and cytological methods, such as ELISA tests, immunoblots, immunolocalization, and functional in vitro binding assays, we have reassessed the role of Vn in receptor-specific bacterial attachment and transformation. We provide evidence that Vn is present in the host plant cells and anti-human vitronectin antibody cross-reacts with a 65-kDa protein from Arabidopsis cells. The specificity of the immunological cross-reactivity of anti-vitronectin antibodies was further demonstrated by ELISA competition experiments. Immunogold labeling showed that Vn is localized in the plant cell wall, and its level increased considerably after phytohormone treatment of the petiole explants. However, Agrobacterium attachment was unaffected, and no inhibition of petiole cell transformation was detected in the presence of human vitronectin and anti-vitronectin antibodies in the media. Additionally, no correlation between the occurrence of Vn, attachment of bacteria to the cells, and susceptibility to Agrobacterium-mediated transformation was observed. Taken together, our data do not support a functional role of plant Vn as the receptor for site-specific Agrobacterium attachment leading to the transformation of Arabidopsis cells.

Tissue specific response of Agrobacterium tumefaciens attachment to Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench

Agrobacterium mediated genetic transformation of plants have advantages over other methods, especially for making single copy transgenic plants with reduced chances of gene silencing and instability. However, monocotyledonous plant species could not utilize the full potential of this system because of possible limitations in Agrobacterium interaction with monocot plant cells. Agrobacterium attachment as a factor in genetic transformation was studied in the leaf, shoot apex, and leaf derived callus of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench). Pre-induction of Agrobacterium with acetosyringone was found necessary for Agrobacterium attachment to sorghum tissues. All the explants responded positively, with preferential Agrobacterium attachment and colonization around the tissues having actively dividing cells. Callus proved to be the best explant for Agrobacterium attachment as observed in scanning electron microscopy and transient GUS expression. Loss of Agrobacterium attachment was observed with an increase in the degree of tissue differentiation.

Monitoring in planta bacterial infection at both cellular and whole‐plant levels using the green fluorescent protein variant GFPuv

* Green fluorescent protein (GFP) labeling of bacteria has been used to study their infection of and localization in plants, but strong autofluorescence from leaves and the relatively weak green fluorescence of GFP-labeled bacteria restrict its broader application to investigations of plant-bacterial interactions. * A stable and broad-host-range plasmid vector (pDSK-GFPuv) that strongly expresses GFPuv protein was constructed not only for in vivo monitoring of bacterial infection, localization, activity, and movement at the cellular level under fluorescence microscopy, but also for monitoring bacterial disease development at the whole-plant level under long-wavelength ultraviolet (UV) light. * The presence of pDSK-GFPuv did not have significant impact on the in vitro or in planta growth and virulence of phytobacteria. A good correlation between bacterial cell number and fluorescence intensity was observed, which allowed us to rapidly estimate the bacterial population in plant leaf tissue. We demonstrated that GFPuv-expressing bacteria can be used to screen plants that are compromised for nonhost disease resistance and Agrobacterium attachment. * The use of GFPuv-labeled bacteria has a wide range of applications in host-bacterial interaction studies and bacterial ecology-related research.

Attachment study of <i>Agrobacterium tumefaciens</i> to tef [<i>Eragrostis tef</i> (Zucc.) Trotter], yam spp., and tobacco (<i>Nicotiana tabaccum</i> L.) explant

Agrobacterium tumefaciens attachment as a factor in transformation was investigated in tef (Eragrostis tef) zygotic embryos, seeds, seedlings, leaf bases and embryogenic callus; leaf discs of yam species (Dioscorea bulbifera, Dioscorea caynensis and Dioscorea alata); and leaf discs of tobacco (Nicotina tabaccum). Cocultivation was made with A1030(pCOPA10), A1030(pEB122), A1030(pTBl08), A1030(pIB422), A1030(virA:Tn5) and A281(pTiBO542). Attachment and fibrils were observed associated in all strains, species, plants and explant used. Even though attachment is observed in intact and wounded plants, preferential attachment was observed around the wound area of explants. Uniformity with bacteria binding was obtained with acetosyringone treatment. The strains used equally bound to tef and yam in the same way as they did to tobacco which was a positive control. Thus, tef and yam, like that of tobacco fit all the criteria for Agrobacterium attachment. SINET: Ethiopian Journal of Science Volume 24, No. 2 (December 2001), pp. 185-195 Key words/phrases: Acetosyringone, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, plant-bacterial attachment, tef, scanning electron microscopy

Chemotactic Movement and Attachment of Agrobacterium tumefaciens to Banana Cells and Tissues

For the elaboration of efficient Agrobacterium -mediated transformation of banana the initial steps in the plant-bacterium interaction were investigated. Chemotaxis of agrobacteria towards tissues was studied using a swarm agar plate system. Excised leaf, rhizome, root and in vitro proliferating tissues from different banana landraces were found to be able to elicit a positive chemotactic reaction of A. tumefaciens that could be enhanced by extensive wounding. Agrobacterium attachment was examined by UV fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, which demonstrated the presence of bacteria individually bound or massively attached to the surface of single banana cells and tissues. It can be concluded that at least during the two early steps of interaction A. tumefaciens appears to be compatible with banana, indicating the potential for genetic transformation.

The role of bacterial attachment in the transformation of cell-wall-regenerating tobacco protoplasts by Agrobacterium tumefaciens

The presence of a newly formed primary cell wall was shown to be required for attachment and subsequent transformation of tobacco leaf protoplasts by Agrobacterium tumefaciens in cocultivation experiments. In these experiments both protoplasts at different stages after their isolation and cell-wall inhibitors were used. The specificity of Agrobacterium attachment was shown by using other kinds of bacteria that did not attach. By diminishing the concentration of divalent cations using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, neither attachment nor transformation was found; however, when more specifically the Ca(2+)concentration was lowered by ethylene glycol-bis (β-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid, both phenomena occurred. Commercial lectins had no effect on binding, but this observation does not exclude the involvement of other lectins. Protoplasts isolated from various crown-gall callus tissues also developed binding sites, but when they were at the stage of dividing cells, attachment of agrobacteria was no longer observed. In this respect, cells from protoplasts of normal tobacco leaves behaved differently. Even 16 d after protoplast isolation, the dividing cells were still able to bind A. tumefaciens, while transformation was not detected. For transformation of 3-d-old tobacco protoplasts, a minimal co-cultivation period of 24 h was required, while optimal attachment took place within 5 h. It is concluded that the primary cell wall was sufficiently well formed that certain functional receptor molecules were available for attachment of Agrobacterium as the first step of a multistep process leading to the transformation of cells. The expression of bacterial functions required for attachment, moreover, was independent of the presence of Ti-plasmid.

Bacteria Isolated from Moss and Their Effect on Moss Development

Bacteria from four species of mosses from different geographical locations were isolated either on media selective for agrobacteria or on nutrient broth. Many isolates induced developmental changes in Pylaisiella selwynii protonemal filaments comparable to those obtained with agrobacteria. No bacteria induced crown gall or hairy root symptoms on beans, tomato, or Kalanchoe, although a few promoted callus growth on potato tuber and also promoted callus and roots on carrot disks, similar to Agrobacterium rhizogenes. Many isolates bind to specific Agrobacterium attachment sites in wounds; five of seven tested isolates competed with virulent Agrobacterium tumefaciens for these sites on bean leaves. No isolate could unequivocally be assigned to the genus Agrobacterium by several physiological and biochemical tests used to classify Agrobacterium. These results demonstrate that bacteria adhering to moss in nature may affect protonemal growth and gametophore initiation and thus may be an important ecological factor in regulating normal life cycle events at this stage of moss development.