Fusion of Agrobacterium and E. coli spheroplasts with Nicotiana tabacum protoplasts ? Direct gene transfer from microorganism to higher plant

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Abstract
Spheroplasts of Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains and E. coli were fused with protoplasts of Nicotiana tabacum. Fusion products were cultured in the presence of antibiotics to eliminate remaining bacterial spheroplasts. On hormone free medium, tobacco protoplasts treated with wild type Agrobacterium-strains formed colonies with an average frequency of 10−4. Opine synthesis was detected in the tissues. Some calli derived from protoplasts treated with A. tumefaciens C58C1pRi15834 formed typical hairy roots. Kanamycin resistant calli were obtained after fusion with A. tumefaciens containing pLGVTi23 neo (frequency=10−3). Fusion of E. coli spheroplasts containing a virulent pTiB6S3::RP4 co-integrate with tobacco protoplasts yielded two hormone independent growing calli producing octopine out of 105 microcalli.