Agrobacterium tumefaciens mutants affected in attachment to plant cells

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Abstract
An analysis of A. tumefaciens mutants with transposon Tn5 insertions in chromosomal DNA showed that the chromosome of A. tumefaciens codes for a specific ability of this bacterium to attach to plant cells. This ability is associated with tumorigenesis by A. tumefaciens, the ability of avirulent A. tumefaciens to inhibit tumorigenesis, and the ability to adsorb certain phages. A 2nd class of chromosomal mutations affects tumorigenesis without altering the ability to attach to plant cells. The attachment of A. tumefaciens to plant cells was assayed by mixing radiolabeled bacteria with suspensions of tobacco tissue culture cells or freshly isolated Zinnia elegans leaf mesophyll cells. Under the conditions of this assay, an avirulent Ti plasmid-cured strain attached to the same extent as the same strain containing pTiB6806. Of 8 avirulent mutants with Tn5 insertions in chromosomal DNA, 6 showed defective attachment, whereas 2 retained wild-type attachment ability. In contrast to the strains showing wild-type attachment, the attachment-defective mutants failed to inhibit tumorigenesis when inoculated onto Jerusalem artichoke slices before inoculation of a virulent strain and also showed a loss of sensitivity to 2 Agrobacterium phages. The loss of phage sensitivity appeared to be due to a loss of ability to adsorb the phages. Staining with Calcofluor indicated that the mutants retained the ability to synthesize cellulose fibrils, which have been implicated in the attachment process. Southern filter hybridizations demonstrated that each mutant contained a single Tn5 insertion, and genetic linkage between the Tn5 insertion in 1 mutant and the attachment phenotype was also demonstrated.