Topic biodiversity - Published 21/05/2020

Agrobacterium: Soil Microbe, Plant Pathogen, and Natural Genetic Engineer

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Abstract

Agrobacterium tumefaciens (Agrobacterium for short) is a single-celled microbe and natural genetic engineer. It takes part of its DNA (the blueprint instructions for life, which are found in every living thing), and inserts it into the DNA of a plant! This tricks the plant into protecting and feeding the microbe; this is great for the microbe, but not so great for the plant. The discovery that Agrobacterium inserts its DNA into plants shows us that genetic engineering is a natural process. Scientists can use this technique to easily introduce new DNA sequences into crop plants, which gives the crops new abilities that help them to fight off pests, grow more nutritious food, and become better at dealing with climate change! In this article, we will explore how Agrobacterium makes a genetically modified organism (GMO), and how this process can help us to improve crop plants and grow more food using less land and pesticides.

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Questions about this article

What are the natural defence mechanisms that plants employ to protect themselves against Agrobacterium infection?
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What initially sparked your interest in studying agrobacterium and its role as a soil microbe
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Would the plant survive longer with this new DNA?
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A large amount of people are often concerned with organic foods. If utilising this for food production, could this be
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Are there any specific skills or qualities that are particularly valuable for pursuing a career related to
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have you encountered any challenges or limitations when working with agrobacterium in the laboratory
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