Construction of a derivative of Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58 that does not mutate to tetracycline resistance

Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58 mutates to tetracycline resistance at high frequency, complicating the use of many broad-host-range cloning and binary vectors that code for resistance to this antibiotic as the selection marker. Such mutations are associated with a resistant gene unit, tet(C58), that is present in the genome of this strain. By deleting the tet(C58) locus, we constructed NTL4, a derivative of C58 that no longer mutates to tetracycline resistance. The deletion had no detectable effect on genetic or physiological traits of NTL4 or on the ability of this strain to transform plants.