Agrobacterium – The biography of a natural genetic engineer

Agrobacterium tumefaciens is the model organism of choice for plant genetic engineers for the better part of the plant biotechnology revolution. For this talk, I want to take you all on a remarkable journey through time chronicling the biography of this unassuming “natural genetic engineer” and how it aids the research of the genetic transformation of plant cells. Our journey will traverse a timeline of over 50 years, and will throw light on the scientific contributions from laboratories around the globe, including the stories of legendary scientists and their groups from across continents. The scientists in our story represent a diverse array of Life Science disciplines, from the traditional plant pathology, microbiology, and chemistry to evolved fields of excitement and excellence such as molecular biology, plant tissue culture, and plant metabolic chemistry.

What I hope to illustrate in my exciting story is how scientists across the world investigating Agrobacterium found intellectual eureka moments in the emergent field of plant molecular biology while birthing, nurturing and growing the field of plant recombinant DNA technology.

By Chandrakanth Emani