ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses some of the experiments that indicate how DNA might be transferred from the bacterium to the plant, which sequences are involved in the integration of plasmid DNA into the plant chromosome, and how the integrated DNA appears to influence the growth properties of the infected cell. Many techniques have been proposed for the transfer of DNA to plants such as direct DNA uptake, microinjection of pure DNA, and the use of viral vectors. The interaction between Agrobacterium and plant cells sets in motion a chain of events that ultimately transfers the T-DNA from the Ti plasmid into the plant nuclear DNA. The experiments presented not only emphasize the effectiveness of the Ti plasmid as a vector for transfer of foreign genes to plants but also its potential to study the expression and regulation of the transferred genes.
