Frequently Asked Questions - Obtaining and Using TransBacter Strains
- What is TransBacter?
- How can I obtain TransBacter strains?
- Is TransBacter patented or owned by a company?
- What are the BiOS License conditions relevant to TransBacter?
- How much does it cost?
- How can I obtain a license to use TransBacter strains in a for-profit or commercial environment?
- How do I register as a non-commercial BiOS Licensee of TransBacter on BioForge?
- Will I have to pay royalties to use TransBacter?
- Does CAMBIA make a profit from the licenses?
- Can TransBacter be used to make a profit?
- My friend works in a lab that has TransBacter strains. Can I ask for the strains? Do I still need to pay?
- How do I import bacterial strains into my country?
- What are the exact constituents of the kit and their quantity?
- What binary vectors are available to use with TransBacter?
- What introduced genetic constituents do the strains contain?
- Can the strains be obtained without a binary vector?
- Why can't I get Mesorhizobium loti or Rhizobium sp. NGR234 without pCAMBIA1105.1R in it?
- Can I use TransBacter to transform my species of interest?
- I use TransBacter in my lab. Can I help distribute it?
- How else can I help?
See Also Frequently Asked Questions about Request Procedures or download the TransBacter Request Form (info).
What is TransBacter?
TransBacter is a collective name given to non-pathogenic bacteria that have been modified to be able to replace Agrobacterium in plant transformation processes. To date we have shown, using modified plasmids, that three species of bacteria, Sinorhizobium meliloti, Mesorhizobium loti, and Rhizobium sp. NGR234 are able to transfer genes to plants under certain circumstances.
TransBacter strains have been made available to the scientific community through a BiOS License. To use TransBacter strains you must agree to the terms of the BiOS Plant Enabling Technology License (info).
By using TransBacter it may be possible to circumvent the current licensing thicket involved with using Agrobacterium for plant transformation (see Agrobacterium-mediated Transformation of Plants Technology Landscape for more information).
How can I obtain TransBacter strains?
We provide TransBacter strains for research by non-profit organisations, or for-profit companies. To obtain TransBacter strains for research in non-profit organisations, simply complete the TransBacter Request Form (info)and send it to us by mail or fax. We'll send the strains as soon as our lab commitments permit it, and if you are located in an OECD country a small charge will be made to cover replication and mailing costs.
To request a license for use within a company or commercial environment, contact us at licenses@cambia.org. The company will be asked to execute a BiOS Technology Support Agreement to help us cover our costs in protecting the technology and supporting the website and materials to provide the technology and improvements.
You may need to find out about requirements for importing these bacteria into your country. CAMBIA doesn't accept any liability for checking these because each jurisdiction and institution may have different rules, and complying with these is the responsibility of the recipient. However, if you need information to fill out forms, you may be able to find it on this website (see below) or ask colleagues from your country through our discussion forum. We encourage people who have imported these bacteria to post the information they used.
Is TransBacter patented or owned by a company?
The patent applications and trademark are owned by CAMBIA, which is a non-profit registered in Australia and a non-government organisation registered with the Food and Agriculture Organization. CAMBIA does not receive any profit from selling, using, or out-licensing TransBacter. However, the technology has been patented at CAMBIA's expense in order to manage the rights to practice the technology in accordance with the principles of "open source". An entity may obtain a license to use the technology only by agreeing to all the terms of the license, including allowing other licensees to use improvements and biosafety data. An entity that attempts to enforce patents on the improvements against others voids its license and would be liable for infringement.
What are the BiOS License conditions relevant to TransBacter?
In summary, in return for CAMBIA's permission to use the technologies, a licensee institution agrees to allow and encourage its employees and students to post any improvements made to the technologies on this website. The licensee institution also agrees not to assert any intellectual property rights to the improvements against other licensees.
All licensees that comply with these license terms are allowed to use the technology for research, public good, and/or commercial product development.
Companies with for-profit governance also agree to assist us in meeting costs such as providing this website and any improved protocols that are developed. However, CAMBIA's BiOS license does not require any commitment to repay patenting costs, nor any milestone payments or royalties.
How much does it cost?
To provide non-profits with TransBacter strains and the licenses to use them, the only payment required is to recover our direct costs in replicating and sending out the strains. Please see the TransBacter request form for current charge information. In special circumstances, especially for labs not located in OECD countries, we may waive even this charge.
For-profit companies are requested to enter into a subscription agreement that supports the development of the protected commons, with annual fees commensurate to the size of the company and where it is based.
All BiOS licenses are completely royalty-free.
How can I obtain a license to use TransBacter strains in a for-profit or commercial environment?
We provide licenses to use TransBacter strains for both for-profit business or non-profit research.
Copies of both the BiOS License for Plant Enabling Technologies (info) and the attached Technology Support Agreement are available at BiOS website.
In signing a TransBacter Request Form and/or using TransBacter strains you agree to the conditions of these agreements.
Will I have to pay royalties to use TransBacter?
BiOS licenses are available from CAMBIA completely royalty-free for both research and commercial purposes. For-profit companies based in OECD countries such as Australia and the USA are normally requested to enter into a technology support agreement, or a similar arrangement that helps CAMBIA defray costs of keeping the technology available on the BioForge. For-profit companies based outside the OECD and non-profits obtain all the benefits of the license without any such subscription.
CAMBIA has committed to this broadly accessible licensing arrangement in the hope that many who wish to see the protected commons of improvements expanded for public good will use this technology.
Does CAMBIA make a profit from the licenses?
Very few companies make a profit on patent licenses! Patents are expensive to file and maintain. CAMBIA doesn't try to make a profit with its licenses. We are a non-profit organisation. All funds go to support CAMBIA's initiatives to make capabilities to use technology widely accessible.
How do I register as a non-commercial BiOS Licensee of TransBacter on BioForge?
You can register your details on the BioForge.
Registering with BioForge gives you the protected availability and opportunities to discuss technical issues and improvements and to share results, ideas, observations, questions and data with fellow BiOS licensees.
Can Transbacter be used to make a profit?
Royalty-free licenses are available from CAMBIA to both for-profit and non-profit entities. CAMBIA believes that hunger in many parts of the world can be alleviated not only by providing tools to public good researchers in those communities, but also by removing barriers to micro, small and medium enterprise.
IBM, Nokia, Sun and other IT companies have shown that hardware and software technology can be non-exclusively and open-source licensed and simultaneously generate profitability in a for-profit company. BiOS-compliant licenses make it possible to do the same for life sciences products.
My friend works in a lab that has TransBacter strains. Can I ask for the strains? Do I still need to pay?
If you are working in a non-profit or university, fill out and sign the TransBacter Request Form (info) and send it to us. Please note on the form who will supply you with the strains, and cross out the payment section (as the charges are solely to cover production and distribution, payment to cover postage is not required if obtaining strains from a friend or colleague). Once you have registered your agreement to the conditions of the license, you will have a license to use strains from your colleague.
If you are working in a for-profit company or on a commercial project, the company should execute a technology support services subscription agreement to help us cover our costs in making the technology and improvements available, both through materials support and this website.
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How do I import bacterial strains into my country?
The terms of the BiOS license require users of Transbacter to comply with applicable laws. Every jurisdiction has different rules. You will need to find out if there are any importation/custom requirements for mailing of these strains to your country.
Once you have obtained the appropriate forms, these frequently asked questions and other information on the website should give you enough information to fill out the forms. We encourage people who have imported these bacteria to post the information they used.
For example, see General Information about TransBacter (info) which contains the information that was required by a recipient within the US to successfully obtain a USDA-APHIS permit.
When you provide us with the appropriate documentation, we will attach it to the package to send to you. If you don't need such documentation for your country, please advise us of that on your request form.
What are the exact constituents of the kit and their quantity?
Depending on your request, the kit will contain bacterial strains (e.g. Sinorhizobium meliloti, Rhizobium sp. or Mesorhizobium loti). Each bacterial strain is individually streaked onto 1.5mL of YM Agar medium in a sealed plastic tube.
The number of tubes containing bacteria on media depends on the number of bacterial strains requested.
You will also receive a BioForge registration card, CD containing TransBacter information such as vector maps, and instructions on culturing the TransBacter strains.
What binary vectors are available to use with TransBacter?
pCAMBIA1105.1R is specifically provided to use with TransBacter strains. The "R" signifies the presence of a multiple cloning site with a size marker that distinguishes it from pCAMBIA1105.1. Some variants of this vector are now available. pCAMBIA1105.1 is intended to use with Agrobacterium controls. A description and maps of these vectors can be downloaded here.
What introduced genetic constituents do the strains contain?
The strains we are distributing are modified in that they contain a derivative of the pTiBo542 plasmid from Agrobacterium tumefaciens. pTiBo542 had been "disarmed" by having both of its T-DNA regions deleted, to create pTiEHA101 (with an nptI gene in place of the deleted T-DNA) and pTiEHA105 (with no foreign DNA inserted in place of the deleted T-DNA). For details, see Hood et al 1986 J Bact 168:1291-1301 and Hood et al 1993 Trans Res 2:208-218.
pTiEHA105 was modified at CAMBIA by homologous recombination insertion of a pCR2.1TOPO plasmid (Invitrogen Inc.) containing an RK2 oriT (amplified from pSUP202 with primers EVS49 and EVS50 - see Stabb and Ruby 2002 Methods Enzymol. 358:413-426) and the virG gene - to create pTiWB1 - or the moaA gene - to create pTiWB3.
Some strains also contain the binary vector pCAMBIA1105.1R with a GUSPlus reporter construct (see the GUSPlus Project).
Can the strains be obtained without a binary vector?
At this time only Sinorhizobium meliloti + pWBTi3 can be requested without the binary vector pCAMBIA1105.1R. Other strains and combinations may be available later.
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Why can't I get Mesorhizobium loti or Rhizobium sp. NGR234 without pCAMBIA1105.1R in it?
In both cases the strain was first transformed with pCAMBIA1105.1R by electroporation and the modified Ti plasmids pWBTi1 or pWBTi3 were introduced next by triparental mating from Sinorhizobium meliloti.
You should be able to cure these bacteria of the binary plasmid by growth in non-selective conditions (no spectinomycin or streptomycin) for some generations, followed by replica plating on media with and without spec (or strep) to screen for colonies that have become sensitive to it.
A quicker method would be to transform in another pCAMBIA plasmid (or other plasmid with the same backbone such as the pPZP plasmids) and select for its resistance gene. This should "bounce out" pCAMBIA1105.1R since cells don't like to keep two different plasmids with the same replicon. You should still screen for loss of spec/strep resistance though, to make sure.
We don't intend to do this ourselves. We are busy working on a broad host range Ti plasmid and this will be made available in strains without the presence of a binary plasmid.
Can I use TransBacter to transform my species of interest?
We have experience using TransBacter to transform tobacco, Arabidopsis and rice. Other labs have had similar success and are trying other species. We encourage you to use TransBacter on the organism that you are researching.
I use TransBacter in my lab. Can I help distribute it?
Your state or country may require permits for the strains. The conditions of the BiOS license require that recipients comply with all applicable laws.
We try whenever possible to refer requestors to a BiOS Reference Lab in the same nation for the redistribution of materials. Depending on the applicable laws in your nation, this may help to minimise import and quarantine restrictions. If you would like to be a BiOS Reference Lab in your country to replicate and send out the strains on our behalf, please e-mail us. We would provide you with the mailing kits, including CDs with media compositions, protocols, copies of the license, etc.
How else can I help?
- Become a BiOS Reference Lab in your country and help us distribute strains.
- Use TransBacter and share your results and ideas on the BioForge.
- Tell your colleagues about TransBacter and encourage them to use it in their research.
For more information about how you can help, use the links on the left under "How do I contribute?"
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