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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #421410
Research Project: Management and Biology of Arthropod Pests and Arthropod-borne Plant Pathogens

Location: Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research

Title: A new use of Agrobacterium plant growth regulator genes for plant bioengineering

Author
item Heck, Michelle
item Pitino, Marco
item Coradetti, Samuel
item Deblasio, Stacy
item STALLONE, MARTIN - Cornell University
item LOCATELLI, GUILHERME - University Of Florida
item HODGE, JOANNE - University Of Florida
item GRANDO, MAGALI FERRARI - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE)
item Thompson, Luke
item SHENDE, KETAN - University Of Florida
item Hentz, Matthew
item Gaza, Nichole
item NIKOOMANZAR, ALI - Consultant
item BENNETT, LUCY - Cornell University
item DEMIIRDEEN, NURSENA - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE)
item Cooper, William
item Thomson, James
item RITENOUR, MARK - University Of Florida
item LORENZO, ROSSI - University Of Florida
item CANO, LILIANA - University Of Florida
item ADAIR JR, ROBERT - Florida Research Center For Agricultural Sustainability (FLARES)
item Stover, Eddie
item McKenzie, Cindy
item Niedz, Randall
item Shatters, Robert
item SULLIVAN, SAMANTHA - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE)
item SCHECHTER, ELIJAH - Cornell University
item COCHRANE, ELLEN - University Of Florida
item Larson, Nicholas
item CHANG, BRIAN - Tompkins Seneca Tioga Boces
item WEEKS-PURDY, CHASE - Tompkins Seneca Tioga Boces
item Cook, Rachel
item SCOTT, ASPEN - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)

Submitted to: Frontiers in Plant Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/6/2026
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Inspired by the challenge of solving citrus greening disease, we developed a platform biotechnology with the goal of expressing and delivering antimicrobial peptides and other biomolecules to citrus vascular tissues by leveraging a natural process that occurs during the development of crown gall disease caused by the plant pathogenic bacterium Agrobacterium. Using a binary plant transformation vector to express Agrobacterium plant growth regulator genes together with a gene of interest in the same cells, we engineered autonomously dividing plant cells, referred to as Symbionts (to distinguish from pathogenic galls), capable of expressing biomolecules on plants and in vitro plant cell tissue culture. This is a novel application of Agrobacterium that can potentially be developed to modify the host plant phenotype without modification of the host plant genotype.

Technical Abstract: Delivery of therapeutic molecules into the plant’s vascular tissues is a massive barrier to developing sustainable management strategies for plant diseases caused by insect-vector borne vascular plant pathogens, including citrus greening, Pierce’s disease of grapevine, X disease of cherry, olive quick decline, almond scorch and others. By adding Agrobacterium plant growth regulator genes to a binary plant transformation vector also encoding a gene of interest, we engineered plant tissues capable of expressing biomolecules in otherwise unmodified plants and in vitro plant cell tissue culture. We refer to these tissues as Symbionts to reflect their beneficial interaction with the host plant. We demonstrate Symbiont formation on plants and with excised and cultured cells cured of Agrobacterium. On plants, Symbionts vascularize similar to wild-type Agrobacterium galls. Potential benefits of this technology include production and delivery of proteins and other biomolecules, including metabolites, directly on the host plant, development on any host plant of Agrobacterium, ability to deliver Symbionts to established crop plantings, and in vitro culturing for plant-based protein production. Symbionts may enable real-time, in vivo delivery of genetically encoded molecules, such as antimicrobial peptides for disease management.