Methods, means and compositions for enhancing agrobacterium-mediated plant cell transformation efficiency
US8232452B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 15, 2006 |
| Grant date | Jul 31, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 15, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC07K14/415
- WIPO fieldBiotechnology
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
Higher eukaryotes sense microbes through perception of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). The flagellin receptor FLS2 represents so far the only known pattern recognition receptor (PRR) in Arabidopsis. Arabidopsis plants detect a variety of PAMPs including specific epitopes of the bacterial proteins flagellin and EF-Tu. Here, we show that flagellin and EF-Tu activate a common set of signalling events and defence responses, but without clear additive or synergistic effects. Treatment with either PAMP results in increased receptor sites for both PAMPs, a finding employed in a reverse-genetic approach to identify the receptor kinase EFR as the EF-Tu receptor. Transient expression of EFR in Nicotiana benthamiana results in formation of specific binding sites for EF-Tu, and responsiveness to this PAMP. Arabidopsis efr mutants show a higher frequency of T-DNA transformation by the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens, revealing a role for EF-Tu perception in restricting this plant pathogen. These results demonstrate that EFR is the receptor for EF-Tu and that plant defence responses induced by PAMPs like EF-Tu reduce transformation by Agrobacterium.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.