Résumé Les hémoglobines tronquées (Hbtrs) sont retrouvées chez plusieurs organismes et leurs fonctions sont encore inconnues pour la plupart. Les Hbtrs du pathogène de plante Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58 ont été inactivées pour vérifier leurs implications dans la production de tumeur chez les plantes. Les expériences ont montré que les souches mutantes pour les Hbtrs AtuHb2 et AtuHb3 étaient capables d'induire la production de tumeur chez la plante Kalanchoe daigremontiana. La protéine recombinante AtuHb2 a été caractérisée par spectroscopie d'absorption et de résonance Raman. L'analyse, par spectroscopie d'absorption, montre que la protéine est hexacoordonnée dans la forme ferrique et ferreuse, qu'il est possible pour AtuHb2 de former des complexes stables avec les ligands CO, CN- et NO, mais pas avec l'O2 et que le complexe formé entre la forme ferreuse et le NO est pentacoordonné. L'analyse par spectroscopie de résonance Raman a montré que le ligand CO est peu stabilisé

No Brasil, doenças causadas pelo Papaya ringspot virus - type Watermelon (PRSV-W) e Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) reduzem a produção e a qualidade dos frutos de abobrinha-de-moita (Cucurbita pepo) e melancia (Citrullus lanatus), assim como em outras cucurbitáceas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi a obtenção de plantas transgênicas de abobrinha-de-moita e melancia resistentes ao PRSV-W e ao ZYMV. Um sistema eficiente de regeneração in vitro é necessário para a obtenção de plantas transgênicas. O sistema de organogênese in vitro de abobrinha-de-moita foi desenvolvido utilizando como explantes a região basal do cotilédone e um segmento do hipocótilo obtidos a partir de sementes germinadas in vitro. Os explantes foram cultivados em meio de cultura MS (MURASHIGE; SKOOG, 1962), suplementado com diferentes concentrações de BAP (benzilaminopurina). A indução de gemas adventícias foi mais eficiente nas concentrações de 1,0 e 1,25 mg/L de BAP. Este protocolo foi usado para regenerar plantas em experimentos de transformação genética de abobrinha-de-moita cv. Caserta e melancia cv. Crimson Sweet, via Agrobacterium tumefaciens. O vetor binário pCAMBIA2201, contendo fragmentos dos genes da proteína capsidial do ZYMV e do PRSV-W, numa construção gênica do tipo hairpin e o gene de seleção nptII, sob controle do promotor 35S, foi usado nos experimentos de transformação genética. Após 2 dias de co-cultivo, em meio de cultura MS, suplementado com BAP (1 mg/L), os explantes foram transferidos para meio de cultura de seleção, suplementado com BAP (1 mg/L), timentin (400 mg/L) e canamicina (100 mg/L) e cultivados por 3 a 4 semanas, sob fotoperíodo de 16 horas de luz. Plantas regeneradas foram analisadas por PCR, usando primers específicos para detecção dos fragmentos dos genes da proteína capsidial do PRSV-W e ZYMV. Foram utilizados 1050 explantes de abobrinha-de-moita e de 973 explantes de melancia, resultando em 36 e 59 plantas PCR positivas, respectivamente. A eficiência de transformação foi de 3,4% para abobrinha-de-moita e 6,1% para melancia. Plantas PCR positivas foram aclimatizadas, gradualmente, em sala de luz e transferidas para casa-de-vegetação. Pela análise de Southern blot foi confirmada a integração dos fragmentos dos genes da proteína capsidial do ZYMV e PRSV-W em 3 plantas de abobrinha-de-moita. Depois de desenvolvidas, flores femininas foram polinizadas manualmente e sementes foram coletadas de frutos maduros. Plantas R1 de abobrinha-de-moita e melancia foram inoculadas com o PRSV-W e o ZYMV por meio de Myzus nicotianae virulíferos. Não foram identificadas, até o momento, plantas resistentes aos patógenos em estudo / Diseases caused by the potyviruses Papaya ringspot virus - type Watermelon (PRSV-W) and Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) significantly reduce the yield and fruit quality of zucchini squash (Cucurbita pepo), watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), as well as other cucurbit crops in Brazil. The purpose of this work was to obtain zucchini squash and watermelon transgenic plants resistant to PRSV-W and ZYMV. An efficient in vitro regeneration system which can be associated with the protocol is necessary to obtain transgenic plants. In vitro organogenesis system was successfully developed using comprised of distal region of hypocotyl and the base of cotyledon of a germinated seed. The explants were cultured in MS medium (MURASHIGE; SKOOG, 1962), supplemented with different concentraction of BAP (benzylaminopurine). The induction of adventitious buds was more efficient at concentrations of 1.0 and 1.25 mg.L-1 BAP. This protocol was used to regenerate plants from genetic transformation experiments with zucchini squash cv. Caserta and watermelon cv. Crimson Sweet via Agrobacterium tumefaciens. For transformation, the binary vector pCAMBIA 2201, containing sequences of the coat protein coding regions of ZYMV and PRSV-W in a hairpin construct and the nptII gene, driven by 35S promoter was used. After 2 days of co-culture in MS medium supplemented with BAP (1.0 mg.L-1), explants were transferred to the MS selection culture medium, supplemented with BAP (1.0 mg.L-1), timentin (400 mg.L-1) and kanamycin (100 mg.L-1), and incubated for 3 to 4 weeks at 27 oC, under 16 h photoperiod. Regenerated plants were analyzed by PCR, using specific pairs of primers for the detection of the coat protein gene segments of PRSV-W and ZYMV. A total of 1,050 zucchini squash and 973 watermelon explants were used in the transformation experiments, resulting in 36 and 59 PCR positive plants, respectively. The genetic transformation efficiency was 3.4% for zucchini squash and 6.1% for watermelon. The PCR positive plants were slowly acclimatized in the culture room and transferred to the greenhouse for further growth. Southern blot analysis confirmed the genome integration of the the ZYMV and PRSV-W coat protein gene fragments in three zucchini squash plants which survived the acclimatization step. Later in development, female flowers were were manually pollinated and seeds were collected from mature fruits. R1 transgenic zucchini squash and watermelon plants were inoculated with PRSV-W and ZYMV by means of viruliferous Myzus nicotianae. Resistant plants were not yet observed among the R1 plants available

Les bactéries ont longtemps été considérées comme des organismes unicellulaires. Cependant, elles se comportent comme des systèmes multicellulaires dans lesquels des cellules séparées communiquent ensemble en utilisant des systèmes moléculaires appelés autoinducteurs. Ce processus, appelé Quorum Sensing (QS), est capable de détecter la densité de population bactérienne et régule ainsi l'expression de certaines fonctions biologiques importantes, telles que la virulence bactérienne ou la formation de biofilm, liées à la pathogénicité humaine ou à la croissance végétale. Comme le QS implique plusieurs types de molécules, il s'agit donc d’une thématique intéressante pour les études à l’interface chimie biologie visant à synthétiser des molécules capables de moduler le QS. Deux aspects du QS sont étudiés dans cette thèse: Le premier est la conception, la synthèse et l'évaluation biologique d’analogues d’autoinducteurs en tant que modulateur QS bactérien. Dans cette section, différentes relations structure-propriété d'un type d'auto-inducteur chez les bactéries Gram-négatives : les Acyl Homoserine Lactones (AHL) ont été étudiées. Ces études montrent que la chiralité de l’homosérine lactone est importante, que le remplacement du groupe amide central par des hétérocycliques ou des composés AHL structurellement non apparentés jouent un rôle important dans la modulation QS. Dans une deuxème partie, une étude structurale a permis de comprendre comment l’agrocinopine A a été en mesure d'intervenir dans le processus du QS c’est à dire la production de signaux AHL et d'activer la virulence bactérienne chez la bactérie Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Le rôle clé du groupement pyranose-2-phosphate de l'agrocinopine est démontré comme étant responsable de sa reconnaissance par les protéines de transport AccA et de la régulation du QS. Dans l'ensemble, cette thèse est la combinaison de deux composés organiques synthétiques liés au QS, tous deux destinés à améliorer les connaissances de base de ce processus biologique, contribuant potentiellement à l'avenir à de nouvelles stratégies capables d'influencer la pathogénicité bactérienne. / Over the past decades, it has been recognized that the social communication of bacteria either play a beneficial role or can worse pathogenicity in plant and human health. The language of bacteria used for communication are signal molecules called auto-inducers (AIs), which are regulated by themselves. This specific bacterial regulation process is termed as “quorum sensing (QS)”, by which bacteria coordinate various phenotypes such as biofilm formation or virulence factors in many microorganisms. To artificially alter the QS response of bacteria through design of QS chemical signal molecules for improving the pathogenicity have attracted the attention with innovative antibacterial strategies. Two chemical approaches towards bacteria QS have been studied in this thesis. One contributed to the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel QS inhibitors, another focused on the investigation of the role of agrocinopine and analogues in QS regulation in a specific bacteria Agrobacterium tumefaciens (AT). Both aimed at improving basic knowledge on QS biological processes in bacteria. The first part figured out the chirality-activity relationship of Acyl Homoserine Lactones (AHLs), studied the replacement of the central amide group of AHLs by heterocyclic scaffolds, and designed a family of nitroaniline derivatives as LuxR-regulated QS inhibitors. The L-one of enantiomeric AHLs was found to be predominant in QS modulation, and some AHLs unrelated nitroaniline compounds were capable of inhibiting LuxR type of QS, whereas the bioactivity of heterocyclic scaffolds depends on its substitution sites. The second part elaborated the mechanism by which agrocinopine A and its analogues were able to involve QS process, and activate virulence spread in AT. A series of analogues of agrocinopine A have been synthetized for investigating their binding properties with AccA. A specific key pyranose-2-phosphate motif has been identified to be responsible for both antibiotic import and QS regulation in AT.

No Brasil, doenças causadas pelo Papaya ringspot virus - type Watermelon (PRSV-W) e Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) reduzem a produção e a qualidade dos frutos de abobrinha-de-moita (Cucurbita pepo) e melancia (Citrullus lanatus), assim como em outras cucurbitáceas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi a obtenção de plantas transgênicas de abobrinha-de-moita e melancia resistentes ao PRSV-W e ao ZYMV. Um sistema eficiente de regeneração in vitro é necessário para a obtenção de plantas transgênicas. O sistema de organogênese in vitro de abobrinha-de-moita foi desenvolvido utilizando como explantes a região basal do cotilédone e um segmento do hipocótilo obtidos a partir de sementes germinadas in vitro. Os explantes foram cultivados em meio de cultura MS (MURASHIGE; SKOOG, 1962), suplementado com diferentes concentrações de BAP (benzilaminopurina). A indução de gemas adventícias foi mais eficiente nas concentrações de 1,0 e 1,25 mg/L de BAP. Este protocolo foi usado para regenerar plantas em experimentos de transformação genética de abobrinha-de-moita cv. Caserta e melancia cv. Crimson Sweet, via Agrobacterium tumefaciens. O vetor binário pCAMBIA2201, contendo fragmentos dos genes da proteína capsidial do ZYMV e do PRSV-W, numa construção gênica do tipo hairpin e o gene de seleção nptII, sob controle do promotor 35S, foi usado nos experimentos de transformação genética. Após 2 dias de co-cultivo, em meio de cultura MS, suplementado com BAP (1 mg/L), os explantes foram transferidos para meio de cultura de seleção, suplementado com BAP (1 mg/L), timentin (400 mg/L) e canamicina (100 mg/L) e cultivados por 3 a 4 semanas, sob fotoperíodo de 16 horas de luz. Plantas regeneradas foram analisadas por PCR, usando primers específicos para detecção dos fragmentos dos genes da proteína capsidial do PRSV-W e ZYMV. Foram utilizados 1050 explantes de abobrinha-de-moita e de 973 explantes de melancia, resultando em 36 e 59 plantas PCR positivas, respectivamente. A eficiência de transformação foi de 3,4% para abobrinha-de-moita e 6,1% para melancia. Plantas PCR positivas foram aclimatizadas, gradualmente, em sala de luz e transferidas para casa-de-vegetação. Pela análise de Southern blot foi confirmada a integração dos fragmentos dos genes da proteína capsidial do ZYMV e PRSV-W em 3 plantas de abobrinha-de-moita. Depois de desenvolvidas, flores femininas foram polinizadas manualmente e sementes foram coletadas de frutos maduros. Plantas R1 de abobrinha-de-moita e melancia foram inoculadas com o PRSV-W e o ZYMV por meio de Myzus nicotianae virulíferos. Não foram identificadas, até o momento, plantas resistentes aos patógenos em estudo / Diseases caused by the potyviruses Papaya ringspot virus - type Watermelon (PRSV-W) and Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) significantly reduce the yield and fruit quality of zucchini squash (Cucurbita pepo), watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), as well as other cucurbit crops in Brazil. The purpose of this work was to obtain zucchini squash and watermelon transgenic plants resistant to PRSV-W and ZYMV. An efficient in vitro regeneration system which can be associated with the protocol is necessary to obtain transgenic plants. In vitro organogenesis system was successfully developed using comprised of distal region of hypocotyl and the base of cotyledon of a germinated seed. The explants were cultured in MS medium (MURASHIGE; SKOOG, 1962), supplemented with different concentraction of BAP (benzylaminopurine). The induction of adventitious buds was more efficient at concentrations of 1.0 and 1.25 mg.L-1 BAP. This protocol was used to regenerate plants from genetic transformation experiments with zucchini squash cv. Caserta and watermelon cv. Crimson Sweet via Agrobacterium tumefaciens. For transformation, the binary vector pCAMBIA 2201, containing sequences of the coat protein coding regions of ZYMV and PRSV-W in a hairpin construct and the nptII gene, driven by 35S promoter was used. After 2 days of co-culture in MS medium supplemented with BAP (1.0 mg.L-1), explants were transferred to the MS selection culture medium, supplemented with BAP (1.0 mg.L-1), timentin (400 mg.L-1) and kanamycin (100 mg.L-1), and incubated for 3 to 4 weeks at 27 oC, under 16 h photoperiod. Regenerated plants were analyzed by PCR, using specific pairs of primers for the detection of the coat protein gene segments of PRSV-W and ZYMV. A total of 1,050 zucchini squash and 973 watermelon explants were used in the transformation experiments, resulting in 36 and 59 PCR positive plants, respectively. The genetic transformation efficiency was 3.4% for zucchini squash and 6.1% for watermelon. The PCR positive plants were slowly acclimatized in the culture room and transferred to the greenhouse for further growth. Southern blot analysis confirmed the genome integration of the the ZYMV and PRSV-W coat protein gene fragments in three zucchini squash plants which survived the acclimatization step. Later in development, female flowers were were manually pollinated and seeds were collected from mature fruits. R1 transgenic zucchini squash and watermelon plants were inoculated with PRSV-W and ZYMV by means of viruliferous Myzus nicotianae. Resistant plants were not yet observed among the R1 plants available

Résumé confidentiel / Not available

Agrobacterium tumefaciens est une bactérie du sol responsable de la galle du collet chez les plantes lorsqu'elle possède le plasmide Ti (Tumor inducing) dit de virulence (pTi). La bactérie transfère un morceau d’ADN du pTi dans le génome de la plante qui code d'une part la production d’hormones de plantes, à l’origine de la formation de tumeurs colonisées par les bactéries et d'autre part la production de petites molécules (opines) qui servent de nutriment à A. tumefaciens. L'opine, agrocinopine A induit la production de signaux quorum sensing à l’origine de la dissémination du plasmide de virulence vers des bactéries non pathogènes. Agrobacterium radiobacter K84, une bactérie non pathogène, produit de l’agrocine 84, un antibiotique qui tue A. tumefaciens.L’import et le catabolisme de l’agrocinopine A sont réalisés par l’opéron acc présent sur le pTi. La protéine périplasmique (PBP) AccA associée à un transporteur ABC importe l’opine dans le cytoplasme qui est ensuite dégradée par AccF et AccG. AccR régule l’expression de l’opéron acc et celle du facteur de transcription TraR, central dans la signalisation quorum sensing. AccA importe l’agrocine 84 qui est activée par AccF. Mon travail de doctorat a permis par des études structure-fonction de caractériser la spécificité d'AccA et d’AccF et d’initier l’étude du facteur de transcription AccR. L’étude structurale de la PBP en complexe avec l’agrocinopine A, l’agrocine 84 et des dérivés de ces molécules a révélé que seul le motif pyranose-2-phosphate commun aux 2 molécules était reconnu par AccA. Cela a été confirmé par microcalorimétrie et autofluorescence. Le motif pyranose-2-phosphate permettrait donc l’entrée de toute molécule qui le possède à une extrémité. La structure de l’enzyme AccF a montré que là encore seul le groupement pyranose-2-phosphate est reconnu. A partir de la structure obtenue et de modélisation du substrat dans le site actif, un mécanisme enzymatique original pour l’hydrolyse de la liaison phosphodiester est proposé. Les mesures d’affinité par microcalorimétrie montrent que seuls l’arabinose-2-phosphate et le glucose-2-phosphate sont capables de fixer AccR. Des expériences in cellulo ont confirmé qu'ils régulent bien l'expression du QS.Mes travaux apportent un éclairage nouveau sur l’import et l'utilisation de l’agrocinopine chez A. tumefaciens. La spécificité de reconnaissance de la PBP pour une partie de la molécule importée est observée chez d’autres PBP, et ouvre la voie à la conception de molécules antibiotiques qui, à l’image de l’agrocine 84, utilisent une stratégie de type « cheval de Troie ». / Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a soil bacterium responsible of the crown gall in plants when it possesses the Tumor inducing plasmid (pTi) which is also the virulence plasmid. The bacterium transfers a piece of DNA from the pTi into the plant genome. The transferred DNA codes for plant hormone synthesis, leading to the formation of tumors which are colonized by bacteria, on one hand, and on the other hand, for the synthesis of small molecules (opines) that are used as nutrients by A. tumefaciens. The opine agrocinopine A induces the production of quorum sensing signals responsible for the spread of the virulence plasmid from pathogenic to nonpathogenic bacterium. Agrobacterium radiobacter K84, a nonpathogenic bacterium, produces the agrocin 84, an antibiotic that kills A. tumefaciens.Import and catabolism of agrocinopine A are operated by acc operon, present on the pTi. The periplasmic binding protein AccA (PBP AccA) associated with the ABC transporter imports the opine into the periplasm where it is degraded by AccF and AccG. AccR regulates the expression of the acc operon and that of the transcription factor TraR, central in quorum sensing signaling. AccA also imports agrocin 84, which is activated by AccF. My PhD work focused on AccA and AccF specificity through structure-function studies and I initiated the study of the transcription factor AccR. The structural study of AccA in complex with agrocinopine A, agrocin 84 and derivatives from these molecules revealed that only the pyranose-2-phosphate motif, common in these two molecules, was recognized. Microcalorimetry and autofluorescence measurements confirmed this conclusion. The pyranose-2-phosphate motif would allow any compound possessing this motif at one end to be transported. The structure of the enzyme AccF showed that again only the pyranose-2-phosphate group is recognized. From the structure and molecular modelling of the substrate in the active site, an original mechanism of the phosphodiester bond cleavage is proposed. Microcalorimetry affinity measures showed that only the arabinose-2-phosphate and glucose-2-phosphate are capable of interacting with AccR. In cellulo experiments confirm that both compounds regulate the expression of quorum sensing.My work sheds light on import and use of agrocinopine in A. tumefaciens. Recognition specificity of the PBP AccA for a part of the imported molecule is observed in other PBPs and opens new ways for rational design of antibiotic compounds that, similarly to agrocin 84, would use the “Trojan horse” strategy.

No description available.

<p><i>Agrobacterium tumefaciens </i>transfers virulence effector proteins to infected host plants to facilitate the transfer and trafficking of a piece of its tumor inducing (Ti) plasmid, (T-[transfer] DNA), into and through plant cells.T-DNA integrates into the host genome where it uses the host’s gene expression machinery to express transgenes. Scientists have used this process to insert beneficial genes into plants by replacing native T-DNA in the bacteria with engineered T-DNA, making <i>Agrobacterium</i>-mediated transformation the preferred method for crop genetic engineering. In spite of its wide-spread use in research and agriculture, we still do not have a complete understanding of the transformation process. Consequently, many important crop species remain highly resistant to transformation. One of my lab’s major goals is to define the molecular interactions between <i>Agrobacterium</i> and its host plants which mediate transformation. I study the role of the <i>Agrobacterium</i> effector protein, VirE2, which is important for plant transformation. VirE2 likely coats the transferred DNA (T-DNA) after it enters the plant cell and protects it from degradation. VIP1 is a host transcription factor that interacts with VirE2 and is involved in activating plant defense responses. VIP1 localizes to both the cytoplasm and the nucleus.Under stress, VIP1 localizes to the nucleus where it activates expression of defense response genes.This observation led to the model that T-DNA-bound VirE2 binds VIP1 and uses VIP1 nuclear localization to deliver T-DNA into the nucleus (the “Trojan Horse” model). In contrast to this model, our lab has obtained data showing that VirE2 holds at least a portion of the VIP1 pool outside the nucleus. We also showed that VIP1 and its homologs are not necessary for transformation. VirE2 interacts with several host proteins in addition to VIP1, and these interactions could lead to changes in host gene expression and protein levels, possibly facilitating transformation. We investigated this model by placing VirE2 under the control of an inducible promoter in <i>Arabidopsis</i> and performing RNA-seq and proteomics under non-induced and induced conditions, and in the presence of <i>Agrobacterium</i> to determine its individual effect on plant RNA and protein levels during infection. Some genes differentially expressed after VirE2 induction are known to be important for transformation. Knockout mutant lines of some VirE2 differentially expressed genes showed altered transformation phenotypes. Protein levels of genes known to be important for transformation were also increased in response to VirE2 induction, and overexpression of some of these genes resulted in increased transformation susceptibility. We therefore conclude that VirE2 modulates both plant RNA and protein levels to facilitate transformation.</p>

Quorum sensing (QS) cell-cell communication systems are utilized by bacteria to coordinate their behaviour according to cell density. Several different types of QS signal molecules have been identified, among which acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) produced by Proteobacteria have been studied to the greatest extent. QS has been shown to be involved in many aspects of bacterial life, including virulence, bioluminescence, symbiosis, antibiotic production, swarming and swimming motility, biofilm formation, conjugation and growth inhibition. Although QS has been studied extensively in cultured microorganisms, little is known about the QS systems of uncultured microorganisms and the roles of these systems in microbial communities. To extend our knowledge of QS systems and to better understand the signalling that takes place in the natural environment, in the first part of this thesis, isolation and characterization of new QS systems from metagenomic libraries constructed using DNA from activated sludge and soil were described. Using an Agrobacterium biosensor strain, three cosmids (QS6-1, QS10-1 and QS10-2) that encode the production of QS signals were identified and DNA sequence analysis revealed that all three clones encode a novel luxI family AHL synthase and a luxR family transcriptional regulator. Thin layer chromatography revealed that these LuxI homolog proteins are able to synthesize multiple AHL signals. Tandem mass spectrometry analysis revealed that LuxIQS6-1 directs the synthesis of at least three AHLs, 3-O-C14:1 HSL, 3-O-C16:1 HSL and 3-O-C14 HSL; LuxIQS10-1 directs the synthesis of at least 3-O-C12 HSL and 3-O-C14 HSL; while LuxIQS10-2 directs the synthesis of at least C8 HSL and C10 HSL. Two possible new AHLs, C14:3 HSL and (?)-hydroxymethyl-3-O-C14 HSL, were also found to be synthesized by LuxIQS6-1. Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a plant pathogen that causes crown gall disease. Its ability to transfer and integrate foreign DNA into plant genome also makes it a useful tool for plant genetic engineering. Ethylene, the gaseous plant hormone, has been reported to be important for both crown gall development and A. tumefaciens mediated transformation efficiency to plants. ACC deaminase, an enzyme that can break down ACC, the direct precursor of ethylene biosynthesis in plants, is a mechanism used by some plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) to promote plant growth by reducing stress ethylene levels. In the second part of this thesis, the effect of ACC deaminase on A. tumefaciens induced crown gall development and on A. tumefaciens mediated transformation efficiency was studied. By either introduction of an ACC deaminase encoding gene into the virulent strain A. tumefaciens C58 or co-inoculation of A. tumefaciens C58 with an ACC deaminase containing PGPB P. putida UW4, using different plant systems including tomato plants and castor bean plants, it was found that the presence of an ACC deaminase significantly inhibited crown gall development. It was also found that introduction of an acdS gene into the disarmed A. tumefaciens strain GV3101::pMP90 reduced the ethylene levels evolved by plants during infection and cocultivation process and increased the transformation efficiency of commercialized canola cultivars. The A. tumefaciens D3 strain was reported to contain an ACC deaminase encoding gene (acdS). In this study it was determined that this strain is an avirulent strain and shows plant growth promoting activity. When co-inoculated with A. tumefaciens C58 on castor bean stems, both the wild type and the acdS knockout mutant showed biocontrol activity and were able to significantly inhibit crown gall formation, with the wild type strain showing slightly better tumor inhibition effects. The mutation of acdS and its regulatory gene lrpL in A. tumefaciens D3 was also found to affect QS signal production of this strain, which indicates a cross talk between the two sets of genes.

Quorum sensing (QS) cell-cell communication systems are utilized by bacteria to coordinate their behaviour according to cell density. Several different types of QS signal molecules have been identified, among which acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) produced by Proteobacteria have been studied to the greatest extent. QS has been shown to be involved in many aspects of bacterial life, including virulence, bioluminescence, symbiosis, antibiotic production, swarming and swimming motility, biofilm formation, conjugation and growth inhibition. Although QS has been studied extensively in cultured microorganisms, little is known about the QS systems of uncultured microorganisms and the roles of these systems in microbial communities. To extend our knowledge of QS systems and to better understand the signalling that takes place in the natural environment, in the first part of this thesis, isolation and characterization of new QS systems from metagenomic libraries constructed using DNA from activated sludge and soil were described. Using an Agrobacterium biosensor strain, three cosmids (QS6-1, QS10-1 and QS10-2) that encode the production of QS signals were identified and DNA sequence analysis revealed that all three clones encode a novel luxI family AHL synthase and a luxR family transcriptional regulator. Thin layer chromatography revealed that these LuxI homolog proteins are able to synthesize multiple AHL signals. Tandem mass spectrometry analysis revealed that LuxIQS6-1 directs the synthesis of at least three AHLs, 3-O-C14:1 HSL, 3-O-C16:1 HSL and 3-O-C14 HSL; LuxIQS10-1 directs the synthesis of at least 3-O-C12 HSL and 3-O-C14 HSL; while LuxIQS10-2 directs the synthesis of at least C8 HSL and C10 HSL. Two possible new AHLs, C14:3 HSL and (?)-hydroxymethyl-3-O-C14 HSL, were also found to be synthesized by LuxIQS6-1. Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a plant pathogen that causes crown gall disease. Its ability to transfer and integrate foreign DNA into plant genome also makes it a useful tool for plant genetic engineering. Ethylene, the gaseous plant hormone, has been reported to be important for both crown gall development and A. tumefaciens mediated transformation efficiency to plants. ACC deaminase, an enzyme that can break down ACC, the direct precursor of ethylene biosynthesis in plants, is a mechanism used by some plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) to promote plant growth by reducing stress ethylene levels. In the second part of this thesis, the effect of ACC deaminase on A. tumefaciens induced crown gall development and on A. tumefaciens mediated transformation efficiency was studied. By either introduction of an ACC deaminase encoding gene into the virulent strain A. tumefaciens C58 or co-inoculation of A. tumefaciens C58 with an ACC deaminase containing PGPB P. putida UW4, using different plant systems including tomato plants and castor bean plants, it was found that the presence of an ACC deaminase significantly inhibited crown gall development. It was also found that introduction of an acdS gene into the disarmed A. tumefaciens strain GV3101::pMP90 reduced the ethylene levels evolved by plants during infection and cocultivation process and increased the transformation efficiency of commercialized canola cultivars. The A. tumefaciens D3 strain was reported to contain an ACC deaminase encoding gene (acdS). In this study it was determined that this strain is an avirulent strain and shows plant growth promoting activity. When co-inoculated with A. tumefaciens C58 on castor bean stems, both the wild type and the acdS knockout mutant showed biocontrol activity and were able to significantly inhibit crown gall formation, with the wild type strain showing slightly better tumor inhibition effects. The mutation of acdS and its regulatory gene lrpL in A. tumefaciens D3 was also found to affect QS signal production of this strain, which indicates a cross talk between the two sets of genes.