Genetic transformation of HeLa cells by Agrobacterium.
Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a soil phytopathogen that elicits neoplastic growths on the host plant species. In nature, however, Agrobacterium also may encounter organisms belonging to other kingdoms such as insects and animals that feed on the infected plants. Can Agrobacterium, then, also infect animal cells? Here, we report that Agrobacterium attaches to and genetically transforms several types of human cells. In stably transformed HeLa cells, the integration event occurred at the right border of the tumor-inducing plasmid's transferred-DNA (T-DNA), suggesting bona fide T-DNA transfer and lending support to the notion that Agrobacterium transforms human cells by a mechanism similar to that which it uses for transformation of plants cells. Collectively, our results suggest that Agrobacterium can transport its T-DNA to human cells and integrate it into their genome.
Kunik
T
T
Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5215, USA.
Tzfira
T
T
Kapulnik
Y
Y
Gafni
Y
Y
Dingwall
C
C
Citovsky
V
V
D016960:Agrobacterium tumefaciens / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016296:Mutagenesis; D016716:PC12 Cells; D051381:Rats; D014170:Transformation, Genetic; D037521:Virulence Factors
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D037521:Virulence Factors