Identification and localization of transformed cells in agrobacterium tumefaciens-induced plant tumors

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-induced tumors of dicotyledonous plants consist of well-defined vascular bundle-like structures originating from transformed cells. The current view that 25% of the tumor cells are transformed has been re-investigated by using beta-glucuronidase (gus)-gene-containing wild-type bacteria (A281 p35S gus-int). Regularly growing stem and leaf tumors showed irregular GUS-staining patterns in the different plant species, Ricinus communis L., Cucurbita maxima L., Vicia faba L. and Kalanchoe daigremontiana Hamet et Perrier. Variable staining and inconsistency between staining and tumor growth suggested an inhibition of gus expression. By polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse transcriptase-PCR analyses it became evident that gus is also integrated into the DNA of unstainable tumor parts but not expressed. These results and area calculations of tissues unable to contain the bacterial transferred-DNA with gus provide strong evidence that in A. tumefaciens-induced tumors most cells, or even all, are transformed, i.e. ca. 100%.