All effects coming from the infection of "R. fascians" do not depend on plant cells transformation (as for Agrobacterium tumefaciens or Agrobacterium rhizogenes), but on expression of virulence-related genes of bacterium and on the production of compounds that can interfere with normal plant growth and development. During the infection, "R. fascians" usually stays outside vegetal tissues, near a junction or cavity of a plant's cell walls, maybe to avoid environmental stresses. Presence of "R. fascians" was also observed in intercellular spaces inside tissues (in leaf or galls) and even inside cell walls. Presence of "R. fascians" on the infected plant is necessary, not only for the initiation of infection, but also for its maintenance.