Agrobacterium-mediated transformation (AMT) heavily relies on the capability of bacterial pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens in transferring foreign genes into a wide variety of host plants. Currently, AMT is the most commonly used method for generating transgenic plants. On the other hand, A. tumefaciens was very useful for plant breeding. It also accelerated the technology of plant breeding to obtain specific characters. Gene transfer from bacteria to plants is a complex mechanism that involves several functional steps. This chapter will give brief information related to AMT mechanism, including the history of crown gall disease, the natural pathogenesis of A. tumefaciens, and the general protocol of AMT.
Part of the book: Genetic Transformation in Crops