Ti plasmids of agrobacterium : potentials for genetic engineering : plasmids, genetic engineering, crown gall, tumors
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Crown gall disease of dicotylendenous plants, induced by Agrobacterium tumefaciens, provides a unique system for the study of pathogen-host interplay at the molecular level. By means of large Ti plasmids borne by virulent strains of the bacterium, the pathogen redirects normal plant cell metabolism to provide a physiological regime that is beneficial to the pathogen, and also results in tumor formation on the plant. This redirection of plant metabolism is accomplished through the incorporation, maintenance, and expression of part of the Ti plasmid in the plant cell; thus crown gall serves as the first naturally-occurring example of genetic engineering of a eukaryotic cell by a prokaryote. Through the use of in vivo or in vitro techniques, it may be possible to exploit the crown gall system for use in insertion of man-selected genes into higher plants, thereby providing plants with genetic makeup not easily available through conventional genetic techniques.