Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1988 Feb;170(2):790–795. doi: 10.1128/jb.170.2.790-795.1988

Expression of an Agrobacterium Ti plasmid gene involved in cytokinin biosynthesis is regulated by virulence loci and induced by plant phenolic compounds.

M C John 1, R M Amasino 1
PMCID: PMC210723  PMID: 2448293

Abstract

The nopaline-type Ti plasmid T37 of Agrobacterium tumefaciens carries two distinct genes that encode enzymes involved in cytokinin biosynthesis. In this report, we show that the level of expression of one of these genes was increased dramatically by culture conditions that increased the expression of Ti plasmid virulence genes, including coculture with plant cells or treatment with acetosyringone, a plant phenolic compound. When this nopaline-type Ti plasmid gene was introduced into Agrobacterium strains containing an octopine-type Ti plasmid, similar induction of expression by culture conditions was observed, and analysis of virulence region mutants demonstrated that this induction was under the control of the virA and virG regulatory loci. We further show that induction was strongly pH dependent in octopine strains but, under the conditions examined, pH independent in nopaline strains.

Full text

PDF
795

Images in this article

792Image
on p.792

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Akiyoshi D. E., Klee H., Amasino R. M., Nester E. W., Gordon M. P. T-DNA of Agrobacterium tumefaciens encodes an enzyme of cytokinin biosynthesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Oct;81(19):5994–5998. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.19.5994. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Akiyoshi D. E., Regier D. A., Gordon M. P. Cytokinin production by Agrobacterium and Pseudomonas spp. J Bacteriol. 1987 Sep;169(9):4242–4248. doi: 10.1128/jb.169.9.4242-4248.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Akiyoshi D. E., Regier D. A., Jen G., Gordon M. P. Cloning and nucleotide sequence of the tzs gene from Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain T37. Nucleic Acids Res. 1985 Apr 25;13(8):2773–2788. doi: 10.1093/nar/13.8.2773. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Amasino R. M. Acceleration of nucleic acid hybridization rate by polyethylene glycol. Anal Biochem. 1986 Feb 1;152(2):304–307. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(86)90413-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. An G. Development of plant promoter expression vectors and their use for analysis of differential activity of nopaline synthase promoter in transformed tobacco cells. Plant Physiol. 1986 May;81(1):86–91. doi: 10.1104/pp.81.1.86. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. An G. High efficiency transformation of cultured tobacco cells. Plant Physiol. 1985 Oct;79(2):568–570. doi: 10.1104/pp.79.2.568. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Barry G. F., Rogers S. G., Fraley R. T., Brand L. Identification of a cloned cytokinin biosynthetic gene. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Aug;81(15):4776–4780. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.15.4776. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Buchmann I., Marner F. J., Schröder G., Waffenschmidt S., Schröder J. Tumour genes in plants: T-DNA encoded cytokinin biosynthesis. EMBO J. 1985 Apr;4(4):853–859. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1985.tb03710.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Chilton M. D., Currier T. C., Farrand S. K., Bendich A. J., Gordon M. P., Nester E. W. Agrobacterium tumefaciens DNA and PS8 bacteriophage DNA not detected in crown gall tumors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1974 Sep;71(9):3672–3676. doi: 10.1073/pnas.71.9.3672. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Chilton M. D., Drummond M. H., Merio D. J., Sciaky D., Montoya A. L., Gordon M. P., Nester E. W. Stable incorporation of plasmid DNA into higher plant cells: the molecular basis of crown gall tumorigenesis. Cell. 1977 Jun;11(2):263–271. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(77)90043-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Chilton M. D., Saiki R. K., Yadav N., Gordon M. P., Quetier F. T-DNA from Agrobacterium Ti plasmid is in the nuclear DNA fraction of crown gall tumor cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Jul;77(7):4060–4064. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.7.4060. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. DiRita V. J., Gelvin S. B. Deletion analysis of the mannopine synthase gene promoter in sunflower crown gall tumors and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Mol Gen Genet. 1987 May;207(2-3):233–241. doi: 10.1007/BF00331583. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Gardner R. C., Knauf V. C. Transfer of Agrobacterium DNA to Plants Requires a T-DNA Border But Not the virE Locus. Science. 1986 Feb 14;231(4739):725–727. doi: 10.1126/science.231.4739.725. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Garfinkel D. J., Nester E. W. Agrobacterium tumefaciens mutants affected in crown gall tumorigenesis and octopine catabolism. J Bacteriol. 1980 Nov;144(2):732–743. doi: 10.1128/jb.144.2.732-743.1980. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Garfinkel D. J., Simpson R. B., Ream L. W., White F. F., Gordon M. P., Nester E. W. Genetic analysis of crown gall: fine structure map of the T-DNA by site-directed mutagenesis. Cell. 1981 Nov;27(1 Pt 2):143–153. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90368-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Horsch R. B., Klee H. J., Stachel S., Winans S. C., Nester E. W., Rogers S. G., Fraley R. T. Analysis of Agrobacterium tumefaciens virulence mutants in leaf discs. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Apr;83(8):2571–2575. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.8.2571. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Montoya A. L., Chilton M. D., Gordon M. P., Sciaky D., Nester E. W. Octopine and nopaline metabolism in Agrobacterium tumefaciens and crown gall tumor cells: role of plasmid genes. J Bacteriol. 1977 Jan;129(1):101–107. doi: 10.1128/jb.129.1.101-107.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Regier D. A., Morris R. O. Secretion of trans-zeatin by Agrobacterium tumefaciens: a function determined by the nopaline Ti plasmid. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1982 Feb 26;104(4):1560–1566. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(82)91429-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Schröder G., Waffenschmidt S., Weiler E. W., Schröder J. The T-region of Ti plasmids codes for an enzyme synthesizing indole-3-acetic acid. Eur J Biochem. 1984 Jan 16;138(2):387–391. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1984.tb07927.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Stachel S. E., Nester E. W. The genetic and transcriptional organization of the vir region of the A6 Ti plasmid of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. EMBO J. 1986 Jul;5(7):1445–1454. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1986.tb04381.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Stachel S. E., Nester E. W., Zambryski P. C. A plant cell factor induces Agrobacterium tumefaciens vir gene expression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Jan;83(2):379–383. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.2.379. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Stachel S. E., Zambryski P. C. virA and virG control the plant-induced activation of the T-DNA transfer process of A. tumefaciens. Cell. 1986 Aug 1;46(3):325–333. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(86)90653-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Thomashow M. F., Hugly S., Buchholz W. G., Thomashow L. S. Molecular basis for the auxin-independent phenotype of crown gall tumor tissues. Science. 1986 Feb 7;231(4738):616–618. doi: 10.1126/science.3511528. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. White F. F., Ghidossi G., Gordon M. P., Nester E. W. Tumor induction by Agrobacterium rhizogenes involves the transfer of plasmid DNA to the plant genome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1982 May;79(10):3193–3197. doi: 10.1073/pnas.79.10.3193. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Winans S. C., Ebert P. R., Stachel S. E., Gordon M. P., Nester E. W. A gene essential for Agrobacterium virulence is homologous to a family of positive regulatory loci. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Nov;83(21):8278–8282. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.21.8278. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES