The bacterium, Agrobacterium tumefaciens contains a plasmid, parts of which can, upon infection of a plant cell, be transferred and incorporated into the plant genome. Preliminary results indicate that a gene, VirE, encodes a single-stranded DNA binding protein that participates in this transfer of genes from a prokaryotic bacterial genome to a eukaryotic plant genome. Dr. Sara Machlin, a Postdoctoral Fellow in Plant Biology, will biochemically characterize this interaction in the laboratory of Dr. Eugene Nester of the University of Washington. The results of this work will provide information on fundamental genetic mechanisms as well as enhance our ability to use the Ti plasmid as a vector for gene transfer into plants.
