Background

Crown Gall- Crown Gall is a common disease of many woody shrubs and some herbaceous plants. It is caused by the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The Agrobacteria have been extensively studied over the last 80 years. They are useful today in the genetic engineering of plants because of their ability to integrate parts of their own DNA into a plant's genome. In nature this ability allows the transformation of normal plant cells into tumor cells.(11)

Crown gall is interesting because it results from nature’s own genetic engineering. The crown gall bacterium, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, enters the plant through a wound. It then inserts a portion of its own DNA into the DNA of the plant. Once this bacterial DNA is incorporated into the plant DNA, it induces the plant to overproduce plant hormones that stimulate cell division, resulting in a gall that is a perfect home for the bacterium. The bacterial DNA also causes the plant to produce special food called opines that only Agrobacterium can utilize. Scientists have used the crown gall bacterium to do their own genetic engineering of plants. (12)

Picture provided by biology.ed.ac.uk 

Picture provided by  nsw.gov.au

 Steps to Create a Genetically Modified Crop

  1. Identify the gene you want to insert into plant. (examples- Omega 3 fatty acid, Drought Tolerance, Salt tolerance, size, color.)
  2. Insert gene into Agrobacterium tumefaciens
  3. Allow Agrobacterium Tumefaciens to enter plant cells
  4. Tissue Culture- grow plant from a cell
  5. Cut plant and make copies

Picture provided by biotechinstitute.org 

 
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