Amplification and deletion of a nod-nif region in the symbiotic plasmid of Rhizobium phaseoli

Abstract

One remarkable characteristic of the genomes of some Rhizobium species is the frequent occurrence of rearrangements. In some instances these rearrangements alter the symbiotic properties of the strains. However, no detailed molecular mechanisms have been proposed for the generation of these rearrangements. To understand the mechanisms involved in the formation of rearrangements in the genome of Rhizobium phaseoli, we have designed a system which allows the positive selection for amplification and deletion events. We have applied this system to investigate the stability of the symbiotic plasmid of R. phaseoli. High-frequency amplification events were detected which increase the copy number of a 120-kb region carrying nodulation and nitrogen fixation genes two to eight times. Deletion events that affect the same region were also found, albeit at a lower frequency. Both kinds of rearrangements are generated by recombination between reiterated nitrogenase (nifHDK) operons flanking the 120-kb region.