title: Comparison of nucleic acid content in populations of free-living and symbiotic Rhizobium meliloti by flow microfluorometry.
abstract: Populations of symbiotic Rhizobium meliloti extracted from alfalfa nodules were shown by flow microfluorometry to contain a significant number of bacteroids with higher nucleic acid content than the free-living rhizobia. Bacteroids with lower nucleic acid content than the free-living bacteria were not detected in significant quantities in these populations. These results indicate that the incapability of bacteroids to reestablish growth in nutrient media may not be caused by a decrease in nucleic acid content of the symbiotic rhizobia.
mesh_terms: D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D005470:Fluorometry / Q000379:methods; D000455:Medicago sativa / Q000382:microbiology; D012231:Rhizobium / Q000032:analysis*; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013559:Symbiosis
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial