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St. Louis, Missouri
August 14, 2001
The genome sequence for
Agrobacterium tumefaciens, a bacterium that can naturally
transfer DNA to plant cells, has been released by scientists at
Monsanto Company working
in collaboration with a research group at the University of
Richmond, VA.
A Monsanto team led by Dr. Steve Slater from
Cereon Genomics, a
subsidiary of Monsanto based in Cambridge, MA, collaborated with
Dr. Brad Goodner and his research team from the University of
Richmond.
"Agrobacterium tumefaciens is one of the most important tools
for plant biotechnology," said Dr. Slater. "Our understanding of
this bacterium and its natural ability to stably insert genes
into plants has allowed the development of many of the crops
enhanced through biotechnology that farmers are growing today.
The availability of the genomic sequence can help to improve the
process of producing new crop varieties through biotechnology."
"The organism is also extremely interesting from an evolutionary
viewpoint since it has both a typical circular bacterial
chromosome, and a linear chromosome that seems to have evolved
from a plasmid. This structure appears unique to a small group
of bacteria that are closely related to Agrobacterium," said Dr.
Slater.
"This genomic sequence will help researchers to understand more
about how this bacterium interacts with plants," said Dr.
Goodner.
The DNA sequence for Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain C58, which
includes two plasmids and two chromosomes, has been downloaded
to GenBank, the DNA sequence warehouse of the National Center
for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the U.S. National
Institutes of Health in Bethesda MD. The data will be available
to the public when released by NCBI and can be viewed at
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov .
Agrobacterium has been closely studied since 1907 when
scientists showed that it is the cause of the plant disease
called crown gall. During the 1940s and 1950s, other researchers
showed that Agrobacterium is only needed to initiate the
disease, which can continue well after the bacterium has been
removed. Thus, the bacterium has "transformed" the plant cells.
In the 1970's and 1980's researchers demonstrated that
Agrobacterium transfers a portion of its own DNA into the
plant's DNA, thereby introducing new genes that lead to crown
gall formation. Modification of Agrobacterium DNA in the
laboratory to remove the genes involved in crown gall formation
eventually allowed the introduction of many other genes into
plants.
Dr. Goodner's research group included a number of
undergraduates, who contributed to the mapping phase of the
project and benefited from involvement with an evolving genome
sequencing effort. The Agrobacterium genome project was an
integral part of Dr. Goodner's genetics course at the University
of Richmond and Dr. Goodner, who recently joined the faculty of
Hiram College in Ohio, will continue using Agrobacterium
genomics as a key learning opportunity for his students.
"An entire genome sequence provides huge numbers of genes for
analysis," said Dr. Goodner. "Integrating this analysis with an
undergraduate genetics course provides a unique opportunity for
students to participate in cutting- edge research as they
learn."
Monsanto's sharing of the Agrobacterium genome sequence data
reflects the New Monsanto Pledge and its commitment to sharing
of knowledge and technology to benefit people and the
environment. The New Monsanto Pledge is a commitment to develop
and sell products in a safe and socially responsible manner.
Other specific commitments include dialogue with interested
parties; transparency with information and regulation; respect
for religious, cultural and ethical concerns; and benefits for
growers and the environment.
Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that
improve farm productivity. For more information on Monsanto,
see:
http://www.monsanto.com
Company news release
N3723
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