The transfer of DNA from Agrobacterium tumefaciens into plants: a feast of fundamental insights

This review is dedicated to Jeff Schell, one of the founders of modern `Agrobiology', the genetic and molecular dissection of crown gall disease. Together with notable scientists at the University of Gent, Belgium, Jeff spearheaded the discovery of the Ti-plasmid. The elusive `tumor inducing principle' was uncloaked and provided impetus for an incredibly fruitful subsequent 25 years of analyses. Scientists all over the world were caught up in unraveling the underlying mechanisms of Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer to plants, and along the way uncovered a movable feast of fundamental insights. Below we summarize a sampling of Agrobacterium's most recently recognized accomplishments. *Selected primary references for insights 16 (as these are not discussed in the text); see text for references related to insights 712.