This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Baldani, J. I. Articles by Eardly, B. D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Baldani, J. I. Articles by Eardly, B. D. Agricola Articles by Baldani, J. I. Articles by Eardly, B. D.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1992 July; 58(7): 2308-2314
Copyright © 1992, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Utilization of Carbon Substrates, Electrophoretic Enzyme Patterns, and Symbiotic Performance of Plasmid-Cured Clover Rhizobia

J. Ivo Baldani, R. W. Weaver^*, M. F. Hynes and B. D. Eardly

¹ Department of Soil & Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada T2N 1N4²; and Pennsylvania State University, Berks Campus, Reading, Pennsylvania 19610³

ABSTRACT

Plasmids in Rhizobium spp. are relatively large, numerous, and difficult to cure. Except for the symbiotic plasmid, little is known about their functions. The primary objective of our investigation was to obtain plasmid-cured derivatives of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii by using a direct selection system and to determine changes in the phenotype of the cured strains. Three strains of rhizobia were utilized that contained three, four, and five plasmids. Phenotypic effects observed after curing of plasmids indicated that the plasmids were involved in the utilization of adonitol, arabinose, catechol, glycerol, inositol, lactose, malate, rhamnose, and sorbitol and also influenced motility, lipopolysaccharide production, and utilization of nitrate. Specific staining of 26 enzymes electrophoretically separated on starch gels indicated that superoxide dismutase, hexokinase, and carbamate kinase activities were affected by curing of plasmids. Curing of cryptic plasmids also influenced nodulation and growth of plants on nitrogen-deficient media. The alteration in the ability to utilize various substrates after curing of plasmids suggests that the plasmids may encode genes that contribute significantly to the saprophytic competence of rhizobia in soil.

^* Corresponding author.

Permanent address: Embrapa-Km 47 UAPNPBS, Seropedica, 23851 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Richardson, J. S., Carpena, X., Switala, J., Perez-Luque, R., Donald, L. J., Loewen, P. C., Oresnik, I. J. (2008). RhaU of Rhizobium leguminosarum Is a Rhamnose Mutarotase. J. Bacteriol. 190: 2903-2910 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Richardson, J. S., Oresnik, I. J. (2007). L-Rhamnose Transport Is Sugar Kinase (RhaK) Dependent in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii. J. Bacteriol. 189: 8437-8446 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Karunakaran, R., Ebert, K., Harvey, S., Leonard, M. E., Ramachandran, V., Poole, P. S. (2006). Thiamine Is Synthesized by a Salvage Pathway in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae Strain 3841.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 6661-6668 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Yost, C. K., Rath, A. M., Noel, T. C., Hynes, M. F. (2006). Characterization of genes involved in erythritol catabolism in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae. Microbiology 152: 2061-2074 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Richardson, J. S., Hynes, M. F., Oresnik, I. J. (2004). A Genetic Locus Necessary for Rhamnose Uptake and Catabolism in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii. J. Bacteriol. 186: 8433-8442 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• del Carmen Vargas, M., Encarnacion, S., Davalos, A., Reyes-Perez, A., Mora, Y., Garcia-de los Santos, A., Brom, S., Mora, J. (2003). Only one catalase, katG, is detectable in Rhizobium etli, and is encoded along with the regulator OxyR on a plasmid replicon. Microbiology 149: 1165-1176 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Brom, S., Girard, L., Garcia-de los Santos, A., Sanjuan-Pinilla, J. M., Olivares, J., Sanjuan, J. (2002). Conservation of Plasmid-Encoded Traits among Bean-Nodulating Rhizobium Species. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 2555-2561 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Janecka, J., Jenkins, M. B., Brackett, N. S., Lion, L. W., Ghiorse, W. C. (2002). Characterization of a Sinorhizobium Isolate and Its Extracellular Polymer Implicated in Pollutant Transport in Soil. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 423-426 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Oresnik, I. J., Liu, S.-L., Yost, C. K., Hynes, M. F. (2000). Megaplasmid pRme2011a of Sinorhizobium meliloti Is Not Required for Viability. J. Bacteriol. 182: 3582-3586 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Oresnik, I. J., Twelker, S., Hynes, M. F. (1999). Cloning and Characterization of a Rhizobium leguminosarum Gene Encoding a Bacteriocin with Similarities to RTX Toxins. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65: 2833-2840 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Wernegreen, J. J., Harding, E. E., Riley, M. A. (1997). Rhizobium gone native: Unexpected plasmid stability of indigenous Rhizobium leguminosarum. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94: 5483-5488 [Abstract] [Full Text]