The T-DNA (transferred-DNA) region of virulent Agrobacterium tumefaciens (A. tumefaciens) strain is transferred and integrated into the plant genome, and thereby the T-DNA genes are expressed in transformed plant cells. This protocol was used to analyze the transcription start sites (TSSs) of agrobacterial T-DNA genes within plant crown gall tumor. Firstly, the stems of Arabidopsis thaliana were inoculated by A. tumefaciens strain C58 and developed crown gall tumor. Subsequently, the mRNA was extracted from the crown gall tumor and then used for amplification of 5’ cDNA ends by 5’ Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (5’ RACE) assay. The full-length cDNAs were generated in reverse transcription reactions and used to analyze TSSs. Here, TSSs of three oncogenes, IaaH, IaaM and Ipt were analyzed as examples. This protocol also allows for identification of TSSs of the other agrobacterial T-DNA genes that expressed in plant cells.
Readers should cite both the Bio-protocol article and the original research article where this protocol was used:
Zhang, Y. (2015). 5’ Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (5’ RACE) of Agrobacterial T-DNA Genes within Transformed Plant Sample. Bio-protocol 5(18): e1603. DOI: 10.21769/BioProtoc.1603.
Zhang, Y., Lee, C. W., Wehner, N., Imdahl, F., Svetlana, V., Weiste, C., Droge-Laser, W. and Deeken, R. (2015). Regulation of oncogene expression in T-DNA-transformed host plant cells. PLoS Pathog 11(1): e1004620.