Initial interactions of Agrobacterium tumefaciens with plant host cells

Infections of wounded dicotyledonous plants by Agrobacterium tumefaciens result in the formation of crown gall tumors. The initial step in tumor formation is the site-specific attachment of the bacteria to the host cells. The mechanism of recognition and attachment in this interaction has been studied in detail. Current information on the nature of the bacterial binding sites, the nature of the host receptors, the role of bacterial cellulose fibrils, and the genetics of bacterial attachment will be summarized, and a model for the attachment of Agrobacterium to host cells will be presented.