UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS

 

 

BERKELEY * DAVIS * IRVINE * LOS ANGELES * RIVERSIDE * SAN DIEGO * SAN FRANCISCO SANTA BARBARA * SANTA CRUZ
NS

 

 

A Tribute ta the People of California

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE DAVIS, CALIFORNIA 95616
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

DEPARTMENT OF SOILS AND PLANT NUTRITION January 23, 1968

Professor J. Lederberg

Department of Genetics

Stanford University School of Medicine
Palo Alto, California

Dear Professor Lederberg:

I would like to contact you concerning a system I have been
working on for some time. As you will see from the enclosed manu-
script, I have what I believe to be evidence for transfer of in-
formation from bacteria to higher plants. (I had hoped to publish
this brief account in Science followed by a detailed paper ina
specialty journal, but the editors - probably correctly - thought
that all the data should be presented in the first paper).

The mechanism of interaction is not clear, but some striking
simjlarities to bacterial conjugation are emerging. Periodate,
10 “M, completely inhibits bacterial induction of the plant permease,
while bacterial transpo t and constitutive plant transport are only
somewhat affected. Cottiveatment of the bacteria does, likewise,
severely inhibit induction of the plant permease, while bacterial
transport is not or only slightly affected. Acridine orange has,
however, so far not given clearcut results, and it has not been
possible to permanently cure the bacteria of their ability to in-
duce the plant permease.

If you do have the time, 1 would very much like to discuss this
system with you. I am going back to Norway in March and I am now
searching for ideas on how to proceed. The manuscript is very brief,
and the referees made me realize that not everything may be as clear
as it seems to me. For this reason it may be best if I could come
down to Stanford at your earliest convenience to discuss this system
with you and your coworkers. (I have a few slides made and will be
pleased to give a seminar if you think that this may be of interest).

I will certainly understand if your schedule does not permit this,
and I will welcome any suggestions you may have as to other persons
to contact, other systems which may resemble mine, etc.

Sue of Rev hf. Sincerely _
26:84-BY AG) Per Winre

ABA 60: 205-2 / 1480 Per Nissen
Ak RepA VS:53-74 197