Agrobacterium tumefaciens Gene Transfer: How a Plant Pathogen Hacks the Nuclei of Plant and Nonplant Organisms

Phytopathology. 2015 Oct;105(10):1288-301. doi: 10.1094/PHYTO-12-14-0380-RVW. Epub 2015 Sep 28.

Abstract

Agrobacterium species are soilborne gram-negative bacteria exhibiting predominantly a saprophytic lifestyle. Only a few of these species are capable of parasitic growth on plants, causing either hairy root or crown gall diseases. The core of the infection strategy of pathogenic Agrobacteria is a genetic transformation of the host cell, via stable integration into the host genome of a DNA fragment called T-DNA. This genetic transformation results in oncogenic reprogramming of the host to the benefit of the pathogen. This unique ability of interkingdom DNA transfer was largely used as a tool for genetic engineering. Thus, the artificial host range of Agrobacterium is continuously expanding and includes plant and nonplant organisms. The increasing availability of genomic tools encouraged genome-wide surveys of T-DNA tagged libraries, and the pattern of T-DNA integration in eukaryotic genomes was studied. Therefore, data have been collected in numerous laboratories to attain a better understanding of T-DNA integration mechanisms and potential biases. This review focuses on the intranuclear mechanisms necessary for proper targeting and stable expression of Agrobacterium oncogenic T-DNA in the host cell. More specifically, the role of genome features and the putative involvement of host's transcriptional machinery in relation to the T-DNA integration and effects on gene expression are discussed. Also, the mechanisms underlying T-DNA integration into specific genome compartments is reviewed, and a theoretical model for T-DNA intranuclear targeting is presented.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Agrobacterium tumefaciens / genetics*
  • Agrobacterium tumefaciens / physiology
  • Cell Nucleus / genetics
  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics*
  • Gene Transfer Techniques
  • Host-Pathogen Interactions
  • Plant Diseases / microbiology*
  • Plants / microbiology*

Substances

  • DNA, Bacterial
  • T-DNA