Plasmid required for virulence of Agrobacterium tumefaciens

The irreversible loss of crown gall-inducing ability of Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain C-58 during growth at 37 C is shown to be due to loss of a large plasmid (1.2 X 10-8 daltons). The gene responsible for this high rate of plasmid loss at elevated temperatures seems to be located on the plasmid. In addition, another spontaneous avirulent variant, A. tumefaciens strain IIBNV6 is shown to lack the virulence plasmid which its virulent sibling strain, IIBV7, possesses. Deoxyribonucleic acid reassociation measurements prove that the plasmid is eliminated, not integrated into the chromosome, in both of the avirulent derivatives. Transfer of virulence from donor strain C-58 to avirulent recipient strain A136 results from the transfer of a plasmid, which appears identical to the donor plasmid by deoxyribonucleic acid reassociation measurements. The transfer of virulence in another cross, K27 X A136, was also shown to result from the transfer of a large plasmid. These findings establish unequivocally that the large plasmid determines virulence. Two additional genetic determinants have been located on the virulence plasmid of A. tumefaciens strain C-58: the ability to utilize nopaline and sensitivity to a bacteriocin produced by strain 84. The latter trait can be exploited for selection of avirulent plasmid-free derivatives of strain C-58. The trait of nopaline utilization appears to be on the virulence plasmid also in strains IIBV7 and K27.

The hypervirulence of Agrobacterium tumefaciens A281 is encoded in a region of pTiBo542 outside of T-DNA

We used a binary-vector strategy to study the hypervirulence of Agrobacterium tumefaciens A281, an L,L-succinamopine strain. Strain A281 is hypervirulent on several solanaceous plants. We constructed plasmids (pCS65 and pCS277) carrying either the transferred DNA (T-DNA) or the remainder of the tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid (pEHA101) from this strain and tested each of these constructs in trans with complementary regions from heterologous Ti plasmids. Hypervirulence on tobacco could be reconstructed in a bipartite strain with the L,L-succinamopine T-DNA and the vir region on separate plasmids. pEHA101 was able to complement octopine T-DNA to hypervirulence on tobacco and tomato plants. Nopaline T-DNA was complemented better on tomato plants by pEHA101 than it was by its own nopaline vir region, but not to hypervirulence. L,L-Succinamopine T-DNA could not be complemented to hypervirulence on tobacco and tomato plants with either heterologous vir region. From these results we suggest that the hypervirulence of strain A281 is due to non-T-DNA sequences on the Ti plasmid.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens DNA and PS8 bacteriophage DNA not detected in crown gall tumors

Renaturation kinetics of labeled Agrobacterium tumefaciens DNA are not influenced by addition of 10(4)-fold excess of crown gall tumor DNA. Reconstruction experiments demonstrated that 0.01% added bacterial DNA produces a detectable increase in rate of renaturation of labeled DNA. Crown gall tumor DNA therefore cannot contain as much as 0.01% A. tumefaciens DNA (one entire bacterial genome per three diploid tumor cells). By the same technique, PS8 bacteriophage DNA is not detected in crown gall tumor DNA under conditions that allow detection of 0.0007-0.001% added phage DNA. Crown gall tumor DNA cannot contain as much as one entire phage genome per diploid tumor cell. The presence of a small fraction of either genome (less than 5%), even if present as multiple copies, would escape detection by this method.

A clinical trial of creatine in ALS

BACKGROUND

Mitochondrial dysfunction occurs early in the course of ALS, and the mitochondria may be an important site for therapeutic intervention. Creatine stabilizes the mitochondrial transition pore, and is important in mitochondrial ATP production. In a transgenic mouse model of ALS, administration of creatine prolongs survival and preserves motor function and motor neurons.

METHODS

The authors conducted a randomized double-blind, placebo controlled trial on 104 patients with ALS from 14 sites to evaluate the efficacy of creatine supplementation in ALS. The primary outcome measure was maximum voluntary isometric contraction of eight upper extremity muscles, with secondary outcomes including grip strength, ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised, and motor unit number estimates. Patients were treated for 6 months, and evaluated monthly.

RESULTS

Creatine was tolerated well, but no benefit of creatine could be demonstrated in any outcome measure. CI analysis showed that the study, although powered to detect a 50% or greater change in rate of decline of muscle strength, actually made an effect size of greater than 23% unlikely. It was also demonstrated that motor unit number estimation was performed with acceptable reproducibility and tolerability, and may be a useful outcome measure in future clinical trials.

CONCLUSION

Any beneficial effect of creatine at 5 g per day in ALS must be small. Other agents should be considered in future studies of therapeutic agents to address mitochondrial dysfunction in ALS. In addition, motor unit number estimation may be a useful outcome measure for future clinical trials in ALS.

Structure and transcription of the nopaline synthase gene region of T-DNA

We present the DNA sequence and plant-tumor transcription pattern of some 2400 base pairs from the right border region of pTi T37 DNA from the virulent Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain T37. This region includes the entire transcription unit encompassing the nopaline synthase gene, together with parts of other transcription units. The strategy used to determine the sequence also produced two opposing series of defined, asymmetric deletions across the target DNA region, some of which may serve future purposes in the exploitation of this sequence, which is known to be expressed in a wide variety of host plant tissues.

T-DNA of the Agrobacterium Ti and Ri plasmids

The study of T-DNA transmission from Agrobacterium Ti or Ri plasmid into the genomes of higher plant cells has revealed much about the consequences of transformation. It is now clear that the transformed phenotype is caused by hormonal changes produced directly or indirectly by T-DNA genes. The opine synthases are enzymes encoded in T-DNA that function in the plant cell. Our level of understanding of T-DNA-encoded functions is already sufficient to reveal clear and feasible ways to exploit T-DNA as a gene vector. What remains to challenge the crown gall investigator are many questions of fundamental importance: What is the mechanism of the seemingly illegitimate recombination between T-DNA and plant DNA, and is this process catalyzed by bacterial or host plant enzymes, or both? Do T-DNA genes encode enzymes that catalyze biosynthesis of auxin- and cytokinin-active substances? What gene in T-DNA confers immunity to A. tumefaciens, and what is its mode of action? Does T-DNA insert into random or specific sites in the host plant genome? Did T-DNA derive from plant genetic information or has prokaryotic DNA arrived at functional eukaryotic gene structure by convergent evolution? Although there is keen interest in T-DNA as a vector for genetic engineering, it holds equal interest as a unique interface between the biology of prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

Octopine and nopaline metabolism in Agrobacterium tumefaciens and crown gall tumor cells: role of plasmid genes

Crown gall tumors produced octopine or nopaline or neither compound, depending on the bacterial strain that incited the tumor. The genes specifying production of octopine or nopaline by the tumor were transferred to recipient bacterial strains when the large plasmid associated with virulence was transferred by either conjugation or deoxyribonucleic acid-mediated transformation. Our results, which confirm the work of others (Bomhoff et al., 1976; Goldman et al., 1968; Petit et al., 1970), indicate that, in general, the strains that utilize octopine induce tumors that synthesize octopine, and those that utilize nopaline induce tumors that synthesize nopaline. However, there were several notable exceptions. One class utilized both octopine and nopaline, but the tumors induced by these strains produced only nopaline. Another class utilized nopaline, but their tumors synthesized neither nopaline nor octopine. Mutants were isolated from a number of either octopine- or nopaline-utilizing strains that no longer could utilize the relevant guanido amino acid. These strains, which were mutant in the gene specifying octopine or nopaline oxidase, still retained the permease for these amino acids as well as virulence. Tumors induced by these mutants still synthesized approximately the same levels of octopine and nopaline as tumors induced by their parents. These results suggest that the plasmid gene that determines production of octopine or nopaline by the tumor is distinct from the plasmid gene that determines their catabolism by the bacteria.

Short direct repeats flank the T-DNA on a nopaline Ti plasmid

Crown gall disease results from the insertion of a segment of the Agrobacterium Ti plasmid, called T-DNA, into host plant nuclear DNA. We have subjected to sequence analysis the border regions of pTi T37 (ends of T-DNA) and one left T-DNA/plant DNA border fragment isolated from BT37 tobacco teratoma by molecular cloning. These sequence studies, taken together with published sequence of a right T-DNA/plant DNA border fragment, allowed us to identify the positions of left and right borders at the DNA sequence level. Comparison of left and right border regions of the Ti plasmid revealed a "core" direct repeat of 13 of 14 bases (12 contiguous) precisely at the borders of T-DNA. An extended repeat of 21 of 25 bases overlaps this core repeat. T-DNA on the Ti plasmid exhibits no longer direct or inverted repeats in the border regions, based on Southern hybridization studies. The physical structure of T-DNA differs from that of known prokaryotic and eukaryotic transposable elements but bears a structural resemblance to the prophage of bacteriophage lambda.

T-DNA from Agrobacterium Ti plasmid is in the nuclear DNA fraction of crown gall tumor cells

The crown gall teratoma tumor line BT37, incited by Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain T37, has been found to contain part of the tumor-inducing plasmid, pTi T37, of the inciting strain. This foreign DNA segment, called T-DNA, is maintained at several copies per diploid tumor cell. We have examined subcellular DNA fractions from this tumor line in an effort to determine whether T-DNA is in chloroplasts, mitochondria, or nuclei. Tumor cell chloroplast DNA exhibited EcoRI and Bst I endonuclease cleavage patterns identical to those of normal tobacco chloroplast DNA. Tumor cell mitochondrial DNA exhibited a complex Bst I cleavage pattern that did not differ detectably from that of normal tobacco mitochondrial DNA. Southern blots of tumor chloroplast and mitochondrial cleavage products did not hybridize with labeled pTi T37 DNA, whereas blots of tumor cell nuclear DNA cleavage products hybridized strongly. We conclude that T-DNA is located not in chloroplasts or mitochondria but rather in the nuclear fraction of this tumor line.

Agropine in "null-type" crown gall tumors: Evidence for generality of the opine concept

Agrobacterium Ti (tumor-inducing) plasmids, the causative agents of crown gall disease, fall into four genetic groups based on the patterns of octopine and nopaline synthesis (by crown gall tumors) and catabolism (by Agrobacterium tumefaciens) for which they are responsible. Two classes of Ti plasmids induce tumors that synthesize neither octopine nor nopaline. The existence of these Ti plasmids challenged the view that opines such as octopine and nopaline play a central role in crown gall biology. We now report the occurrence of an opine in tumors induced by one of these classes of Ti plasmids, the "null-type" plasmids typified by pTi Bo542. The opine was purified by biological enrichment based on its utilization by bacteria containing pTi Bo542 but not by bacteria lacking a Ti plasmid. The mass spectrum and biological properties of this opine are identical to those of agropine, an opine recently discovered in octopine-type tumors. We propose that null-type Ti plasmids now be named for their signal opine, agropine-type Ti plasmids.

Regeneration of intact tobacco plants containing full length copies of genetically engineered T-DNA, and transmission of T-DNA to R1 progeny

Cloned DNA sequences encoding yeast alcohol dehydrogenase and a bacterial neomycin phosphotransferase have been inserted into the T-DNA of Agrobacterium tumefaciens plasmid pTiT37 at the "rooty" locus. Transformation of tobacco stem segments with the engineered bacterial strains produced attenuated crown gall tumors that were capable of regeneration into intact, normal tobacco plants. The yeast gene and entire transferred DNA (T-DNA) were present in the regenerated plants in multiple copies, and nopaline was found in all tissues. The plants were fertile, and seedlings resulting from self-pollination also contained intact and multiple copies of the engineered T-DNA. Expression of nopaline in the germinated seedlings derived from one regenerated plant was variable and did not correlate with the levels of T-DNA present in the seedlings. Preliminary evidence indicates that nopaline in progeny of other similarly engineered plants is more uniform. The disarming of pTiT37 by insertions at the "rooty" locus thus appears to produce a useful gene vector for higher plants.

Recombination between higher plant DNA and the Ti plasmid of Agrobacterium tumefaciens

The Ti plasmid sequences (T-DNA) from the octopine-producing crown gall tumor A6S/2 were isolated by molecular cloning, using the bacteriophage lambda vector Charon 4A. Analysis of the cloned DNA segments indicates that the Ti plasmid sequences are covalently joined to plant nuclear DNA. These data demonstrate that genetic recombination between a eukaryote and a prokaryote can occur as a natural phenomenon.

Different ionic selectivities for connexins 26 and 32 produce rectifying gap junction channels

The functional diversity of gap junction intercellular channels arising from the large number of connexin isoforms is significantly increased by heterotypic interactions between members of this family. This is particularly evident in the rectifying behavior of Cx26/Cx32 heterotypic channels (. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 88:8410-8414). The channel properties responsible for producing the rectifying current observed for Cx26/Cx32 heterotypic gap junction channels were determined in transfected mouse neuroblastoma 2A (N2A) cells. Transfectants revealed maximum unitary conductances (gamma(j)) of 135 pS for Cx26 and 53 pS for Cx32 homotypic channels in 120 mM KCl. Anionic substitution of glutamate for Cl indicated that Cx26 channels favored cations by 2.6:1, whereas Cx32 channels were relatively nonselective with respect to charge. In Cx26/Cx32 heterotypic cell pairs, the macroscopic fast rectification of the current-voltage relationship was fully explained at the single-channel level by a rectifying gamma(j) that increased by a factor of 2.9 as the transjunctional voltage (V(j)) changed from -100 to +100 mV with the Cx26 cell as the positive pole. A model of electrodiffusion of ions through the gap junction pore based on Nernst-Planck equations for ion concentrations and the Poisson equation for the electrical potential within the junction is developed. Selectivity characteristics are ascribed to each hemichannel based on either pore features (treated as uniform along the length of the hemichannel) or entrance effects unique to each connexin. Both analytical GHK approximations and full numerical solutions predict rectifying characteristics for Cx32/Cx26 heterotypic channels, although not to the full extent seen empirically. The model predicts that asymmetries in the conductance/permeability properties of the hemichannels (also cast as Donnan potentials) will produce either an accumulation or a depletion of ions within the channel, depending on voltage polarity, that will result in rectification.

Constitutive expression of the virulence genes improves the efficiency of plant transformation by Agrobacterium

Inducible virulence (vir) genes of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid are under control of a two-component regulatory system. In response to environmental factors (phenolic compounds, sugars, pH) VirA protein phosphorylates VirG, which in turn interacts with the promoters of other vir genes, causing induction. A mutation of virG, virGN54D (which codes for a Asn-54-->Asp amino acid change in the product), causes constitutive expression of other vir genes independent of virA. We have investigated whether providing Agrobacterium with a plasmid containing virGN54D augments the efficiency of transfer of the T-DNA (transferred DNA). For both tobacco and cotton, we observed an enhancement of transformation efficiency when the inciting Agrobacterium strain carries the virGN54D mutation. We also tested whether supplying Agrobacterium with a similar plasmid containing wild-type virG affects the efficiency of T-DNA transfer. An intermediate efficiency was observed when this plasmid was employed. Using a beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene to assess transient expression of T-DNA after transfer to tobacco and maize tissues, we observed a higher frequency of GUS-expressing foci after inoculation with Agrobacterium strains carrying virGN54D than with Agrobacterium carrying the wild-type virG. Gene-transfer efficiency to maize by an octopine strain was greatly improved upon introduction of virGN54D. Multiple copies of wild-type virG were equally effective in promoting transient expression efficiency in tobacco but were virtually ineffective in maize. We propose the use of virGN54D to improve the efficiency of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, especially for recalcitrant plant species.

Corn metabolites affect growth and virulence of Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Homogenates of corn seedlings inhibit both growth of Agrobacterium tumefaciens and induction of its Ti plasmid virulence (vir) genes by acetosyringone (AS). The heat-labile inhibitor has been identified as 2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one (DIMBOA), present in 2-week-old seedlings (B73) at a concentration of 1.5 mM or greater. A concentration of 0.3 mM DIMBOA is sufficient to block growth of A. tumefaciens completely for 220 hr. DIMBOA at 0.1 mM concentration completely inhibited vir gene induction by 100 microM AS and reduced growth rate by 50%. Thus, DIMBOA can be expected to have a significant effect on attempts to transform corn by using A. tumefaciens as a vector.

"Agrolistic" transformation of plant cells: integration of T-strands generated in planta

We describe a novel plant transformation technique, termed "agrolistic," that combines the advantages of the Agrobacterium transformation system with the high efficiency of biolistic DNA delivery. Agrolistic transformation allows integration of the gene of interest without undesired vector sequence. The virulence genes virD1 and virD2 from Agrobacterium tumefaciens that are required in bacteria for excision of T-strands from the tumor-inducing plasmid were placed under the control of the CaMV35S promoter and codelivered with a target plasmid containing border sequences flanking the gene of interest. Transient expression assays in tobacco and in maize cells indicated that vir gene products caused strand-specific nicking in planta at the right border sequence, similar to VirD1/VirD2-catalyzed T-strand excision observed in Agrobacterium. Agrolistically transformed tobacco calli were obtained after codelivery of virD1 and virD2 genes together with a selectable marker flanked by border sequences. Some inserts exhibited right junctions with plant DNA that corresponded precisely to the sequence expected for T-DNA (portion of the tumor-inducing plasmid that is transferred to plant cells) insertion events. We designate these as "agrolistic" inserts, as distinguished from "biolistic" inserts. Both types of inserts were found in some transformed lines. The frequency of agrolistic inserts was 20% that of biolistic inserts.

Tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmids of Agrobacterium share extensive regions of DNA homology

Labeled Ti plasmid DNAs from diverse Agrobacterium strains were hybridized to Southern blots of pTi-B6-806 plasmid DNA digest fragments of known map order. The map location of DNA sequences common to all Ti plasmids was found to be extensive, consistent with the view that Ti plasmids have evolved from a common ancestral plasmid.