<figcaption>Figure 2: The figure illustrates the key steps of <i>Agrobacterium</i>-mediated insertion of a target DNA (T-DNA) into the genome of a host plant. Originally, T-DNA and virulence genes are both located on the same plasmid, the Ti plasmid in <i>A. tumefaciens</i> or the Ri plasmid in <i>A. rhizogenes</i>. The picture shows transformation using a binary plasmid, meaning that the <i>vir</i> region of the Ti plasmid is separated on a helper plasmid. Virulence is induced if either phenolic compounds are secreted by the wounded plant (dicots, 1a) or have to be added manually (monocots, 1b). After diffusing through the outer membrane, these phenolic compounds are sensed by the membrane-bound sensor kinase VirA (2). VirA in turn autophosphorylates and activates VirG (3). VirG is the master regulator of the <i>vir</i> operon and binds as a transcription factor to the promoters of the virulence genes. These genes are involved in the transfer of the T-DNA into the host plant's genome (step 4-5). <i>Agrobacterium</i>-mediated transformation can be used to insert any gene region of interest into a plant's genome.</figcaption>
<figcaption>Figure 2: The figure illustrates the key steps of <i>Agrobacterium</i>-mediated insertion of a target DNA (T-DNA) into the genome of a host plant. Originally, T-DNA and virulence genes are both located on the same plasmid, the Ti plasmid in <i>A. tumefaciens</i> or the Ri plasmid in <i>A. rhizogenes</i>. The picture shows transformation using a binary plasmid system, meaning that the <i>vir</i> region of the Ti plasmid is separated on a helper plasmid. Virulence is induced if either phenolic compounds are secreted by the wounded plant (dicots, 1a) or have to be added manually (monocots, 1b). After diffusing through the outer membrane, these phenolic compounds are sensed by the membrane-bound sensor kinase VirA (2). VirA in turn autophosphorylates and activates VirG (3). VirG is the master regulator of the <i>vir</i> operon and binds as a transcription factor to the promoters of the virulence genes. These genes are involved in the transfer of the T-DNA into the host plant's genome (step 4-5). <i>Agrobacterium</i>-mediated transformation can be used to insert any gene region of interest into a plant's genome.</figcaption>
