PlantTransform: Leveraging Diversity of Wild Agrobacterium to Enhance Woody Plant Transformation and Regeneration

Overview
Genetic transformation and regeneration continue to be major bottlenecks for functional genomics and biotechnology in the majority of crop species. Using Populus as a model woody plant system, we propose to identify new Agrobacterium strains, and new genes encoded in their T-DNAs, that can improve the success rate of transformation. In our broader impacts work, we plan to disseminate a variety of video products and curricula intended to elevate critical thinking about the use of biotechnologies for adapting to a climate emergency world.

Project Objectives 
Genetic transformation and regeneration continue to be major bottlenecks for functional genomics and biotechnology in the majority of crop species. Using Populus as a model woody plant system, we propose to:

1. Analyze phenotypes from diverse Agrobacterium strains.
2. Analyze the mechanisms of Agrobacterium strain x genotype interactions.
3. Conduct functional analysis and engineering of novel T-DNAs.
4. Disseminate video products and curricula about the use of biotechnologies for adapting to a climate emergency world.

Figure: Wide variation in transformation and regeneration induced by 10 wild Agrobacterium strains with a Ruby gene.