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  • Describe the role of Agrobacterium tumefaciens in transforming a plant cell.

Describe the role of Agrobacterium tumefaciens in transforming a plant cell.

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Agrobacterium tumefaciens infects walnuts, grapevines, sugar beets, horseradish, etc.

The role of Agrobacterium tumefaciens in transforming a plant cell can be described as:

  1. Agrobacterium tumefaciens infects plants usually through an open wound.
  2. Once it enters its plant host, it injects a section of its DNA called the T-DNA which is derived from its Ti (tumour-inducing) plasmid into its host.
  3.  The T-DNA first directs the plant cells to make auxins and cytokinins, which causes the cells to become irregularly shaped and form a visible tumour called a gall.
  4.  The T-DNA then directs the plant cell to start making opines (usually nopaline or atropine) which A. tumefaciens use as an energy source. Thus, A. tumefaciens creates a special niche for itself inside the gall.

Thus, this property of Ti-plasmid has been exploited for cloning the genes of interest and stably integrating them into the plant genes. Therefore, by using Ti-plasmid or its derivations, recombinant plant cells with desired genes of interest stably integrated into the plant genome have been successfully produced.

Posted by

Gurleen Kaur

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