Bacterial gene transfer is also used in the lab to introduce genes into organisms of different species, genera, phyla, or even kingdoms or domains. A major example is the use of a Ti plasmid of the soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens to transfer genes into dicotyledonous plants. The bacterium infects the plant root in the soil and transfers some of the Ti plasmid genes (T DNA) into the plant nucleus. Recombination may occur, and T DNA expression is controlled by plant compounds generated in response to wounding and infection. The T DNA is generated when there is a nick that creates a primer for replication, followed by transfer of a single-stranded DNA piece that converts to a double-stranded piece in the plant nucleus. Which of these processes is Ti plasmid transfer most like?
a) transformation
b) specialized transduction
c) conjugation
d) generalized transduction