NEET · BiologyHard

In the context of Ti plasmid-mediated gene transfer, which specific region is essential for the transfer of T-DNA into the plant cell nucleus, and what is its primary function?

  1. A.virA region, which acts as a transcriptional activator for the vir operon
  2. B.virD2 protein, which acts as a pilot protein to guide the T-strand into the host nucleus
  3. C.virE2 protein, which facilitates the integration of T-DNA into the host genome via homologous recombination
  4. D.virG region, which encodes the membrane-bound sensor kinase for phenolic detection
Show correct answer & step-by-step solution

Correct answer: BvirD2 protein, which acts as a pilot protein to guide the T-strand into the host nucleus

Solution

  1. The Ti plasmid contains a vir region that encodes proteins necessary for T-DNA processing.
  2. The virD2 endonuclease nicks the T-DNA borders and remains covalently attached to the 5' end.
  3. This complex acts as a pilot protein containing nuclear localization signals to transport the T-strand into the host nucleus.
  4. Hence the answer is (B).

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