title: Expression of the symbiotic plasmid from Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii in Sphingobacterium multivorum.
abstract: An inoculant strain of Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii containing a Tn5 marked symbiotic plasmid transferred this plasmid by conjugation to Sphingobacterium multivorum, an organism that can be found in soil. The transconjugant bacteria nodulated the roots of white clover (Trifolium repens) seedlings but did not fix atmospheric nitrogen. Microscopic examination revealed abnormal nodule structures. Bacteria isolated from the nodules were shown to be closely related to the recipient S. multivorum and Southern blots of genomic digests probed with nodA DNA confirmed that the transconjugants contained symbiotic genes. This is the first report of the spontaneous transfer, by conjugation, of a symbiotic plasmid from R. leguminosarum biovar trifolii to S. multivorum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Genetics, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fenton
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Jarvis
mesh_terms: D000217:Acyltransferases; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D015342:DNA Probes; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000382:microbiology; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006088:Gram-Negative Aerobic Bacteria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009586:Nitrogen Fixation / Q000235:genetics; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D016961:Rhizobium leguminosarum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D015342:DNA Probes; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D000217:Acyltransferases; C060770:NodA protein, Rhizobiales