Question: 148. The “Ti plasmid” of Agrobacterium tumefaciens stands for
(1) Tumour inhibiting plasmid
(2) Tumor independent plasmid
(3) Tumor inducing plasmid
(4) Temperature independent plasmid
Answer: Option (3)
Explanation:
Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a soil bacterium that causes crown gall disease in plants.
The plasmid present in this bacterium is called the Ti plasmid, where “Ti” stands for tumor inducing.
This plasmid carries a specific segment known as T-DNA, which gets transferred into the plant genome.
The genes present on the T-DNA induce uncontrolled cell division in plant cells, leading to tumor formation.
Therefore, the Ti plasmid is named tumor inducing plasmid,
making option (3) the correct answer.