Skip to main content
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1978 Dec;136(3):909–915. doi: 10.1128/jb.136.3.909-915.1978

Multiple genes coding for octopine-degrading enzymes in Agrobacterium.

A L Montoya, L W Moore, M P Gordon, E W Nester
PMCID: PMC218524  PMID: 721779

Abstract

Most biotype 2 strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens and A. radiobacter which utilize nopaline also degrade octopine. In all such strains studied, the ability to degrade octopine did not appear to be transferred to plasmidless recipient cells under conditions of plasmid transfer in which the ability to utilize nopaline was transferred. An octopine-degrading mutant was isolated in a strain cured of its plasmid, suggesting that genes of octopine degradation may have a chromosomal location in some strains. In strains in which octopine utilization is coded by plasmid genes, octopine degradation was always inducible, whereas in strains which degrade both octopine and nopaline, octopine utilization was constitutive although nopaline degradation was inducible. When plasmids coding for octopine-utilizing ability were transformed into a strain containing either a nopaline- or null-type plasmid, transformants able to degrade octopine were either not observed or were unstable upon purification. All of these data suggest that plasmids associated with virulence are incompatible with one another, and therefore imply that the major groups of plasmids associated with virulence have a common origin.

Full text

PDF
909

Selected References

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

  1. Beringer J. E., Hopwood D. A. Chromosomal recombination and mapping in Rhizobium leguminosarum. Nature. 1976 Nov 18;264(5583):291–293. doi: 10.1038/264291a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bomhoff G., Klapwijk P. M., Kester H. C., Schilperoort R. A., Hernalsteens J. P., Schell J. Octopine and nopaline synthesis and breakdown genetically controlled by a plasmid of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Mol Gen Genet. 1976 May 7;145(2):177–181. doi: 10.1007/BF00269591. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. 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]
  4. Chilton M. D., Farrand S. K., Levin R., Nester E. W. RP4 promotion of transfer of a large Agrobacterium plasmid which confers virulence. Genetics. 1976 Aug;83(4):609–618. doi: 10.1093/genetics/83.4.609. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Currier T. C., Nester E. W. Evidence for diverse types of large plasmids in tumor-inducing strains of Agrobacterium. J Bacteriol. 1976 Apr;126(1):157–165. doi: 10.1128/jb.126.1.157-165.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Currier T. C., Nester E. W. Isolation of covalently closed circular DNA of high molecular weight from bacteria. Anal Biochem. 1976 Dec;76(2):431–441. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(76)90338-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hernalsteens J. P., De Greve H., Van Montagu M., Schell J. Mutagenesis by insertion of the drug resistance transposon Tn7 applied to the Ti plasmid of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Plasmid. 1978 Feb;1(2):218–225. doi: 10.1016/0147-619x(78)90040-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Jensen R. E., Zdybak W. T., Yasuda K., Chilton W. S. A useful synthesis of nopaline, a crown gall tumor metabolite. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1977 Apr 25;75(4):1066–1070. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(77)91490-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Klapwijk P. M., Hooykaas P. J., Kester H. C., Schilperoort R. A., RORSCH A. Isolation and characterization of Agrobacterium tumefaciens mutants affected in the utilization of octopine, octopinic acid and lysopine. J Gen Microbiol. 1976 Sep;96(1):155–163. doi: 10.1099/00221287-96-1-155. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. MENAGE A., MOREL G. SUR LA PR'ESENCE D'OCTOPINE DANS LES TISSUS DE CROWN-GALL. C R Hebd Seances Acad Sci. 1964 Dec 21;259:4795–4796. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Meade H. M., Signer E. R. Genetic mapping of Rhizobium meliloti. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 May;74(5):2076–2078. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.5.2076. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. 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]
  13. Nester E. W., Merlo D. J., Drummond M. H., Sciaky D., Montoya A. L., Chilton M. D. The incorporation and expression of Agrobacterium plasmid genes in crown gall tumors. Basic Life Sci. 1977;9:181–196. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4684-0880-5_13. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Watson B., Currier T. C., Gordon M. P., Chilton M. D., Nester E. W. Plasmid required for virulence of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. J Bacteriol. 1975 Jul;123(1):255–264. doi: 10.1128/jb.123.1.255-264.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. van Thoai N., Huc C., Pho D. B., Olomucki A. Octopine déshydrogénase. Purification et propriétés catalytiques. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1969 Sep 30;191(1):46–57. doi: 10.1016/0005-2744(69)90313-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES