Agrobacterium (Noun)
Meaning
Small motile bacterial rods that can reduce nitrates and cause galls on plant stems.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- Agrobacterium is a type of soil bacteria that can infect plants and cause crown gall disease, a common problem in gardens.
- The agrobacterium bacterium induces changes in plant cells, causing them to overproduce auxins and result in tumor-like growths.
- Researchers have long been interested in the agrobacterium, as it contains the plasmid that is used for the transfer of DNA in plant genetic engineering.
- The primary mechanism by which agrobacterium infects plants involves a transfer of a specific DNA segment from the bacterium to the plant cell.
- In natural settings, the presence of agrobacterium in the soil typically has a benign effect on most plants, but in certain instances can induce gall formations.