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Nucleic Acids and Proteins in Plants II pp 455–474Cite as

The Ti-Plasmids of Agrobacterium tumefaciens

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Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology ((922,volume 14 / B))

Abstract

Many species of higher plants, in fact most dicotyledonous plants, are susceptible to crown gall disease (De Cleene and De Ley 1976). This disease is characterized by the formation of tumors, often at the crown separating stem from roots, as a result of infection of wounded sites by gram-negative soil bacteria (Agrobacterium tumefaciens). Although these bacteria are required for tumor induction and are mostly found associated with crown gall harboring plants in nature, they are not necessary for tumor maintenance and growth (BRAUN 1953). In fact, sterile crown gall tissues can readily be cultured indefinitely on simple media lacking any added growth hormones. Crown gall plant cells therefore are persistently altered cells with a capacity for autonomous growth in the absence of any outside Stimulation by the inciting bacteria. The normal mechanisms Controlling growth and differentiation of plant cells do not operate properly in these transformed cells and, as such, crown gall cells can be compared with animal tumor cells.

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Abbreviations

Onc :

onogenicity

Ti:

tumor-inducing

TIP:

tumor-inducing principle

T-DNA:

DNA containing the Ti plasmid DNA fragment

T-region (of Ti plasmid):

region transferred into host cell genome

Tra genes :

genes controlling Ti plasmid transfer

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  1. J. Schell
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Biochemie der Pflanzen Halle, Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR, Weinberg 3, Postfach 250, 401, Halle (Saale), Germany

    Benno Parthier

  2. Department of Botany, Science Laboratories, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

    Donald Boulter

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© 1982 Springer-Verlag Berlin-Heidelberg

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Schell, J. (1982). The Ti-Plasmids of Agrobacterium tumefaciens . In: Parthier, B., Boulter, D. (eds) Nucleic Acids and Proteins in Plants II. Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology, vol 14 / B. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68347-3_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68347-3_13

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