title: Biological systems of the host cell involved in Agrobacterium infection.
abstract: Genetic transformation of plants by Agrobacterium, which in nature causes neoplastic growths, represents the only known case of trans-kingdom DNA transfer. Furthermore, under laboratory conditions, Agrobacterium can also transform a wide range of other eukaryotic species, from fungi to sea urchins to human cells. How can the Agrobacterium virulence machinery function in such a variety of evolutionarily distant and diverse species? The answer to this question lies in the ability of Agrobacterium to hijack fundamental cellular processes which are shared by most eukaryotic organisms. Our knowledge of these host cellular functions is critical for understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie genetic transformation of eukaryotic cells. This review outlines the bacterial virulence machinery and provides a detailed discussion of seven major biological systems of the host cell-cell surface receptor arrays, cellular motors, nuclear import, chromatin targeting, targeted proteolysis, DNA repair, and plant immunity--thought to participate in the Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
authors.forename: Vitaly
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Citovsky
authors.forename: Stanislav V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Kozlovsky
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lacroix
authors.forename: Adi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zaltsman
authors.forename: Mery
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dafny-Yelin
authors.forename: Shachi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vyas
authors.forename: Andriy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tovkach
authors.forename: Tzvi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tzfira
mesh_terms: D021581:Active Transport, Cell Nucleus; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D004260:DNA Repair; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020409:Molecular Motor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D021381:Protein Transport; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism; D012231:Rhizobium / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D014170:Transformation, Genetic; D014774:Virulence; D056427:t-Complex Genome Region
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D020409:Molecular Motor Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface