Investigations Implying the Invalidity of Octopine as a Marker for Transformation by Agrobacterium tumefaciens

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Abstract
The presence of the rare free amino acid octopine in different plant material was tested in order to confirm its validity as a specific marker for the expression of bacterial genetic information in tumors produced by infection with A grobacteriu m tu m efaciens. This guanidine derivative is present in auxin-autotrophic fast growing callus cultures of C repis capillaris, and N icotiana tabacum var. ''White Burley", all transformed by infection with A grobacteriu m tum efaciens. In auxin-hetero-trophic callus cultures and in healthy plant material of the same species octopine could not be found. In all A . tum efaciens strains including the avirulent No. 55 tested this guanidine derivative was present. However, since octopine was found in fast growing "habituated" cultures of N . taba­ cum var. "White Burley" and, in small amounts in root tips of pea and bean seedlings and not in a slow growing "transformed" strain T5 of C repis, it cannot be considered as a specific marker for the expression of genetic material from the transforming bacteria

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