Tn5 Insertion Mutants of Pseudomonas fluorescens Defective in Adhesion to Soil and Seeds

Tn5 insertion mutants of a soil isolate, Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1, were selected for decreased ability to adhere to quartz sand in a column assay. Three adhesion-deficient mutants that differed in the location of the Tn5 insertion in the chromosome were isolated and compared with the wild-type strain. One mutant, Pf0-5, was described previously as an adhesion-defective, nonmobile, flagellumless mutant (M. F. DeFlaun, A. S. Tanzer, A. L. McAteer, B. Marshall, and S. B. Levy, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 56:112-119, 1990). Another insertion mutant, Pf0-10, was also missing flagella and the 34-kDa outer membrane protein that was absent in Pf0-5 but present in the wild-type strain. The third mutant (Pf0-15) had increased amounts of this 34-kDa outer membrane protein and more flagella than the wild-type strain. These mutants also displayed decreased ability to adhere to sterile and natural (live) soil and to a variety of plant seeds. In kinetics studies, the wild-type strain showed an initial rapid binding to seeds followed by a later slow phase of binding. The mutant strains were defective in the initial stages of attachment but did show the later slow binding. The findings indicate that the same mutations that affect binding to sand and soil also affect adhesion to plant seeds.     

Identification and molecular analysis of a locus that regulates extracellular toxin production in Clostridium perfringens

The anaerobic bacterium Clostridium perfringens mediates clostridial myonecrosis, or gas gangrene, by producing a number of extracellular toxins and enzymes. Transposon mutagenesis with Tn916 was used to isolate a pleiotropic mutant of C. perfringens that produced reduced levels of phospholipase C, protease and sialidase, and did not produce any detectable perfringolysin O activity. Southern hybridization revealed that a single copy of Tn916 had inserted into a 2.7 kb Hindlll fragment in the C. perfringens chromosome. A 4.3 kb Pstl fragment, which spanned the Tn916 insertion site, was cloned from the wild-type strain. When subcloned into a shuttle vector and introduced into C. perfringens this fragment was able to complement the Tn916-derived mutation. Transformation of the mutant with plasmids containing the 2.7 kb Hindlll fragment, or the 4.3 kb Pstl fragment resulted in toxin and enzyme levels greater than or equal to those of the wild-type strain. The Pstl fragment was sequenced and found to potentially encode seven open reading frames, two of which appeared to be arranged in an operon and shared sequence similarity with members of two-component signal transduction systems. The putative virR gene encoded a protein with a deduced molecular weight of 30140, and with sequence similarity to activators in the response regulator family of proteins. The next gene, virS, into which Tn916 had inserted, was predicted to encode a membrane-spanning protein with a deduced molecular weight of 51 274. The putative VirS protein had sequence similarity to sensor proteins and also contained a histidine residue highly conserved in the histidine protein kinase family of sensor proteins. Virulence studies carried out using a mouse model implicated the virS gene in the pathogenesis of histotoxic C. perfringens infections. It was concluded that a two-component sensor regulator system that activated the expression of a number of extracellular toxins and enzymes involved In virulence had been cloned and sequenced. A model that described the regulation of extracellular toxin production in C. perfringens was constructed.     

Tn501 insertion mutagenesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO

Summary Transposon insertion mutagenesis of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO chromosome with Tn1 and Tn501 was carried out using a mutant plasmid of R68::Tn501 temperature-sensitive for replication and maintenance. This method consists of three steps. Firstly, the temperature-independent, drug-resistant clones were selected from the strain carrying this plasmid. In the temperature-indepent clones, the plasmid was integrated into the chromosome by Tn1- or Tn501-mediated cointegrate formation. Secondly, such clones were cultivated at a permissive temperature to provoke the excision of the integrated plasmid from the chromosome. Excision occurred by the reciprocal recombination between the two copies of Tn1 or Tn501 flanking the integrated plasmid, leaving one Tn1 or Tn501 insertion on the chromosome. Thirdly, the excised plasmid was cured by cultivating these isolates at a non-permissive temperature without selection for the drug resistance. Using this method, we isolated 1 Tn1-induced and 43 Tn501-induced auxotropic mutations in this organism. Genetic mapping allowed us to identify two new genes, pur-8001 and met-8003. The Tn501-induced auxotrophic mutations were distributed non-randomly among auxotrophic genes, and the reversion of the mutations by precise excision of the Tn501 insertion occurred very rarely.     

Evidence for clustered pathogenicity genes in Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris

Summary Plasmid pIJ3000 contains DNA from the plant pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris which restores symptom production to a non-pathogenic mutant. pIJ3000 was mutagenised with the kanamycin resistance transposon Tn5 in Escherichia coli, and the sites of insertion were mapped physically. Derivatives of pIJ3000 containing Tn5 inserted in X. c. campestris DNA were introduced into a wild-type X. c. campestris strain, and the Tn5 insertions recombined into the genome by a marker exchange process. The resulting strains were tested for pathogenicity to turnip seedlings.The parts of the cloned DNA required for symptom production by the wild-type were defined by correlating the phenotype of each Tn5 insertion in the genome with its position in pIJ3000. This led to the identification of a region of approximately 10 kb consisting of a cluster of genes involved in pathogenicity.Dedicated to Professor Georg Melchers to celebrate his 50-year association with the journal     

Relationship Between In Vitro Enhanced Nitrogenase Activity of an Azospirillum brasilense Sp7 Mutant and Its Growth-Promoting Activities In Situ

In this work, we further analyzed an Azospirillum brasilense Sp7 mutant (Sp7::Tn5-33) showing a pleiotrophic phenotype due to a Tn5 insertion into an open reading frame of 840 bp (orf280). The deduced amino acid sequence of this region has high similarity to a family of universal stress proteins. Because the most interesting property exhibited by the Sp7::Tn5-33 mutant was an enhanced in vitro nitrogen fixation activity, we addressed the question of whether it could benefit the host plant. We found that the increased nitrogenase activity at the free-living state of the mutant bacterium was correlated with an increased production of the nitrogenase reductase protein (NifH), in amounts approximately 1.5 times higher than the wild type. The mutant strain exhibited the same level of auxin production and the same colonization pattern of wheat roots as the wild type. We also observed that Sp7::Tn5-33 increased the total plant dry weight, although the N content did not differ significantly between wheat plants inoculated with mutant or wild-type strains.     

Analysis of Tn916-induced mutants ofClostridium acetobutylicum altered in solventogenesis and sporulation

Summary The conjugative transposon Tn916 was used for mutagenesis ofClostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824. Tetracycline-resistant mutants were screened for loss of granulose synthesis and five classes of granulose mutants, that contained single transposon insertions, were identified on the basis of altered solvent production. Class 1 mutants did not make acetone or butanol, lacked activity of enzymes induced during solventogenesis, and did not sporulate, indicating that they are regulatory mutants. The class 2 mutant strains also did not produce acetone but did form small amounts of butanol and ethanol while the class 3 mutants produced low amounts of all solvents. Class 4 and 5 mutants produced essentially the same or higher amounts of solvents than the parent strain. Transposon insertions in the class 1 mutants were used as markers for in vitro synthesis of flanking chromosomal DNA using Tn916-specific primers. The DNA fragments were labeled to produce specific probes. Transposon insertion sites in the chromosomes of 13 different class 1 regulatory mutants were compared by hybridization of the specific probes to Southern blots of restriction endonuclease-digested parental chromosomal DNA. Insertions in two mutants appeared to be, in the same region of the chromosome. These results predict, that multiple regulatory elements are required to induce solvent production and sporulation.     

A temperature-sensitive DNA adenine methyltransferase mutant of Salmonella typhimurium

A temperature-sensitive mutant of Salmonella typhimurium was isolated earlier after transposon mutagenesis with Tn10d Tet. The mutant D220 grows well at 28 °C but has a lower growth rate and forms filaments at 37 °C. Transposon-flanking fragments of mutant D220 DNA were cloned and sequenced. The transposon was inserted in the dam gene between positions 803 and 804 (assigned allele number: dam-231 : : Tn10d Tet) and resulted in a predicted ten-amino-acid-shorter Dam protein. The insertion created a stop codon that led to a truncated Dam protein with a temperature-sensitive phenotype. The insertion dam-231 : : Tn10d Tet resulted in a dam“leaky” phenotype since methylated and unmethylated adenines in GATC sequences were present. In addition, the dam-231 : : Tn10d Tet insertion rendered dam mutants temperature-sensitive for growth depending upon the genetic background of the S. typhimurium strain. The wild-type dam gene of S. typhimurium exhibited 82% identity with the Escherichia coli dam gene.     

Cloning of a DNA region from Bradyrhizobium japonicum encoding pleiotropic functions in heme metabolism and respiration

Random and site-directed Tn5-induced mutagenesis of Bradyrhizobium japonicum yielded two mutations, one in strain 2960 and the other in strain 2606::Tn5-20, which mapped close to each other but in separate genes. The corresponding wild-type genes were cloned, and their approximate location on the cloned DNA was determined. Mutant 2960 was Fix^- and formed green nodules on soybean, whereas strain 2606::Tn5-20 had ca. 4% of wild-type Fix activity and formed white nodules. Cytochrome oxidase assays (Nadi tests) showed a negative reaction with both mutants, indicating a functional deficiency of cytochrome c or its terminal oxidase or both. However, the mutants grew well under aerobic conditions on minimal media with different carbon sources. Furthermore, mutant 2960 had a reduced activity in hydrogen uptake, was unable to grow anaerobically with nitrate as the terminal electron acceptor and 2960-infected soybean nodules contained little, if any, functional leghemoglobin. Southern blot analysis showed that a B. japonicum heme biosynthesis mutant [strain LO505: O'Brian MR, Kirshbom PM, Maier RJ (1987) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 84: 8390–8393] had its mutation close to the Tn5 insertion site of our mutant 2606::Tn5-20. This finding, combined with the observed phenotypes, suggested that the genes affected in mutants 2960 and 2606::Tn5-20 were involved in some steps of heme biosynthesis thus explaining the pleiotropic respiratory deficiencies of the mutants. Similar to strain LO505, the mutant 2606::Tn5-20 (but not 2960) was defective in the activity of protoporphyrinogen IX oxidase which catalyzes the penultimate step in the heme biosynthesis pathway. This suggests that one of the two cloned genes may code for this enzyme.     

Genetic characterization of a mutant of Sinorhizobium fredii strain USDA208 with enhanced competitive ability for nodulation of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr.

Sinorhizobium fredii strain USDA208 is a nitrogen-fixing bacterium that forms nodules on roots of soybean and other legume plants. We previously found that the Tn5-containing mutant 208T3, which was derived from strain USDA208, is both deficient in production of exopolysaccharides and more competitive than the wild-type strain in competing against other rhizobia for nodulation of soybean. We now demonstrate that the transposon insertion of the mutant lies in a locus that is highly homologous to a portion of the exo region, which functions in exopolysaccharide biosynthesis by Sinorhizobium meliloti. We sequenced 2906 bp surrounding the insertion site and identified three genes: exoA, exoM, and exoO. The transposon lies within exoM, a glucosyl transferase. A cosmid containing exoHKLAMONP of S. meliloti restores exopolysaccharide production by mutant 208T3 to wild-type levels. Although exo mutants of S. meliloti are defective in their abilities to form indeterminate nodules, the capacities of mutant 208T3 and its wild-type parent to form such nodules on five legume species are indistinguishable. Thus the symbiotic function of exopolysaccharide in S. fredii appears to differ fundamentally from that in S. meliloti.     

Construction of a Slime Negative Transposon Mutant in Staphylococcus epidermidis Using the Enterococcus faecalis Transposon Tn917

The slime-producing Staphylococcus epidermidis strain sensu strictu CNS23 was transformed by protoplast transformation with the plasmid pTV1 which carries transposon Tn917. Using this transposon mutagenesis system we obtained the Tn917-inserted mutant CT512, which has lost the ability to produce slime. A single insertion of the trasposon Tn917 into the chromosome of CT512 could be detected by Southern hybridization. This mutant showed a significantly higher stability concerning its slime-negative phenotype compared with spontaneous slime-negative mutants of S. epidermidis strain CNS23. In slime-ELISA no slime-associated antigen could be detected in extracts of the transposon mutant. Compared to slime-positive S. epidermidis strains, CT512 lacked in accumulative growth in microtiter tube test.     

The histone-like protein HupB influences biofilm formation and virulence in Xanthomonas citri ssp. citri through the regulation of flagellar biosynthesis

Citrus canker is an important disease of citrus, whose causal agent is the bacterium Xanthomonas citri ssp. citri (Xcc). In previous studies, we found a group of Xcc mutants, generated by the insertion of the Tn5 transposon, which showed impaired ability to attach to an abiotic substrate. One of these mutants carries the Tn5 insertion in hupB, a gene encoding a bacterial histone-like protein, homologue to the β-subunit of the Heat-Unstable (HU) nucleoid protein of Escherichia coli. These types of protein are necessary to maintain the bacterial nucleoid organization and the global regulation of gene expression. Here, we characterized the influence of the mutation in hupB regarding Xcc biofilm formation and virulence. The mutant strain hupB was incapable of swimming in soft agar, whereas its complemented strain partially recovered this phenotype. Electron microscope imaging revealed that impaired motility of hupB was a consequence of the absence of the flagellum. Comparison of the expression of flagellar genes between the wild-type strain and hupB showed that the mutant exhibited decreased expression of fliC (encoding flagellin). The hupB mutant also displayed reduced virulence compared with the wild-type strain when they were used to infect Citrus lemon plants using different infection methods. Our results therefore show that the histone-like protein HupB plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of Xcc through the regulation of biofilm formation and biosynthesis of the flagellum.     

Isolation and Genetic Analysis of an Agrobacterium tumefaciens Avirulent Mutant with a Chromosomal Mutation Produced by Transposon Mutagenesis

A transposon 5 (Tn5) insertion was introduced into the genome of A. tumefaciens (A-208 strain harbouring a nopaline type Ti-plasmid) using a conjugative pJB4JI plasmid containing Tn5. Five thousand transconjugants were assayed for virulence on carrot (Daucus carota L.) disks; 54 isolates were avirulent or very attenuated. The cellular localization (plasmid or chromosome) of the Tn5 insertion in those isolates were identified by Southern hybridization analysis. An avirulent- mutant (B-90 strain) with the Tn5 insertion in the chromosome was selected and characterized. The mutant had the same growth rate as that of the parent strain in L-broth. The mutant and the parent strain had similar attachment ability to carrot root cells. Tn5 was inserted into one site of the chromosome. The wild-type target chromosomal region (1281 base pairs) was cloned and sequenced. An open reading frame (ORF) consisting of 395 base pairs was identified. The wild-type DNA fragment (1.6 kb) containing the ORF introduced into B-90 strain complemented the avirulent phenotype of the strain. A soluble protein was predicted from the ORF. The Tn5 was inserted near the 3′-terminal of the ORF. Homology search of this ORF found no significant homology to known genes and proteins. Thus, the ORF identified in this paper seems to be a new chromosomal virulence gene of A. tu?efaciens.     

Isolation of Stable Hemolysin and Catalase Variants of Staphylococcus aureus S6C Includes One with an Exoprotein-Deficient Phenotype

Previous studies suggested that the exoprotein-deficient phenotype of a Δ1058::Tn551 insertion/deletion mutant of Staphylococcus aureus S6C was not owing to the insertion/deletion event, but instead was owing to the inherent instability of the agrC gene during transduction of the Δ1058::Tn551 region into S6C. The purpose of the following study was to examine S6C as a potential source of exoprotein-deficient mutants that would account for their appearance after transposition and transduction. Four stable variants of S6C were isolated that differed in their hemolysin and catalase activities. Surprisingly, the agr regulatory molecule, RNAIII, was undetectable in one of these variants, which most likely accounted for the exoprotein-deficient phenotype of this variant. When the original Δ1058::Tn551 mutation was transduced into the hemolytic, catalase-positive variant of S6C, none of the transductants exhibited an exoprotein-deficient phenotype. These data suggest that, while the exoprotein-deficient phenotype of the S6C variant is most likely due to mutations in the agr regulatory system, these mutations are not caused by the transduction of the Δ1058::Tn551 region into S6C, but instead already exist in an exoprotein-deficient variant of S6C. Received: 6 November 2000 / Accepted: 16 January 2001     

SYNTHESIS OF GLYCOPROTEINS IN BRAIN: IDENTIFICATION, PURIFICATION AND PROPERTIES OF GLYCOSYL TRANSFERASES FROM PURIFIED SYNAPTOSOMES OF GUINEA PIG CEREBRAL CORTEX

Abstract— Four glycoprotein:glycosyl transferases (a fetuin:N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase; a bovine submaxillary mucin: N-acetylgalactosaminyl transferase; a collagen: glucosyl transferase and an orosomucoid: galactosyl transferase) were purified 34-, 45-, 37- and 47-fold, respectively, from synaptosomes prepared from guinea pig cerebral cortex. Purifications were achieved by centrifugation and by column chromatography on Sephadex G-100 and G-150 of 0 , 1% (w/v) Triton X-100 extractsof the purified cerebral cortical synaptosomes. The enzymes were separated from endogenous acceptors and were highly specific for specific macromolecular acceptors; small molecules were ineffective as acceptors. The fetuin: N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase functioned only with fetuin minus N-acetylneuraminic acid, galactose and N-acetylglucosamine; the bovine submaxillary mucin: N- acetylgalactosaminyl transferase with bovine submaxillary much minus N-acetylneuraminic acid and N-acetylgalactosamine; the collagen: glucosyl transferase with collagen minus glucose; and the orosomucoid: galactosyl transferase with either orosomucoid minus N-acetylneuraminic acid and galactose or fetuin minus N-acetylneuraminic acid and galactose. Each transferase required a specific (XDP)-monosaccharide for transfer. The transferases were entirely dependent on either Mn²⁺ or Mg²⁺ for activation and Fe²⁺ and Hg²⁺ inhibited each of the four enzymes. The optimum pH's for the enzymes were: for fetuin: N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase, 7 , 4–8.0; for bovine submaxillary mucin: N-acetylgalactosaminyl transferase, 7 , 7; for collagen: glucosyl transferase, 7 , 7 and for orosomucoid: galactosyl transferase, 6 , 6. The enzymes were distributed subsynaptosomally primarily in the synaptosomal plasma membrane and in the mitochondria of the synaptosome. The respective values for K_m (μM) and V_mex (pmoles/h/mg of protein) for the transferases were: fetuin: N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase, 12 and 143; for bovine submaxillary mucin: N-acetylgalactosaminyl transferase, 25 and 166; for collagen: glucosyl transferase, 4 and 10 and for orosomucoid:galactosyl transferase, 8 and 111.     

Transposon mutagenesis: Cloning of chromosomal DNA from the site of Tn916 insertion using polymerase chain reaction

A protocol that allows fast recovery and further analyses of chromosomal DNA adjacent to the Tn916 site of insertion is described. The procedure is based on single specific primer PCR amplification using restricted chromosomal DNA ligated into a suitable vector. Two primers, one Tn916-specific and the second vector-specific, allow amplification of the chromosomal DNA flanking the site of insertion.     

Analyses oftraA, int-Tn,andxis-TnMutations in the Conjugative Transposon Tn916inEnterococcus faecalis

The conjugative transposon Tn916moves intercellularly via an excision/insertion mechanism that involves products ofint-Tnandxis-Tn.Tn5-insertion mutations in these genes were found to be complemented in anEnterococcus faecalishost by specific coresident transposons harboring the corresponding wild-type allele. A determinant designatedtraA,partially overlapping and divergently transcribed fromxis-Tn,is thought to encode a key positively acting regulatory protein needed for expression of conjugation functions. This locus was also shown to express atrans-acting product.     

Improved ethanol production by glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The anaerobic performance of gpd1Δ and gpd2Δ mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was characterized and compared to that of a wild-type strain under well-controlled conditions by using a high-performance bioreactor. There was a 40% reduction in glycerol level in the gpd2Δ mutant compared to the wild-type. Also the gpd1Δ mutant showed a slight decrease in glycerol formation but to a much lesser degree. As a consequence, ethanol formation in the gpd2Δ mutant was elevated by 13%. In terms of growth, the gpd1Δ mutant and the wild-type were indistinguishable. The gpd2Δ mutant, on the other hand, displayed an extended lag phase as well as a reduced growth rate under the exponential phase. Even though glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 2 (GPD2) is the important enzyme under anaerobic conditions it can, at least in part, be substituted by GPD1. This was indicated by the higher expression level of GPD1 in the gpd2Δ mutant compared to the wild type. These results also show that the cells are able to cope and maintain redox balance under anaerobic conditions even if glycerol formation is substantially reduced, as observed in the gpd2Δ mutant. One obvious way of solving the redox problem would be to make a biomass containing less protein, since most of the excess NADH originates from amino acid biosynthesis. However, the gpd2Δ mutant did not show any decrease in the protein content of the biomass. Received: 16 February 1998 / Received revision: 16 March 1998 / Accepted: 1 June 1998     

An <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhs</Emphasis>-like genetic element is involved in bacteriocin production by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas savastanoi</Emphasis> pv. <Emphasis Type="Italic">savastanoi</Emphasis>

The main aim of this work was the identification of genetic determinants involved in bacteriocin production by strain ITM317 of Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi, besides bacteriocin characterization. The bacteriocin was observed to be a heat-sensitive, high molecular weight proteinaceous compound. We identified a transposon (Tn5)-induced mutant which had lost its ability to produce the bacteriocin. The Tn5 insertion’s responsibility for the above mutated phenotype was demonstrated by marker-exchange mutagenesis. An EcoRI DNA fragment, corresponding to the EcoRI Tn5-containing fragment of the mutant, was also cloned from the wild-type strain, and its introduction into the mutant complemented the mutation. Moreover, that fragment enabled bacteriocin production by P. s. pv. savastanoi ITM302, a strain not previously capable of doing so. DNA sequence analysis revealed that Tn5 insertion occurred in the mutant within a large ORF encoding a protein which showed similarity with proteins from the Rhs family. The DNA region including that ORF showed features which have been considered typical of the Rhs genetic elements previously identified in other bacteria but whose function is as yet unclear. The results of this study for the first time identify an Rhs-like element in P. s. pv. savastanoi, and for the first time indicate that an Rhs element is involved in bacteriocin production, also suggesting this possible function for Rhs genetic elements previously characterized in other bacteria.     

Conjugative transposition of Tn916: preferred targets and evidence for conjugative transfer of a single strand and for a double-stranded circular intermediate

Transposition of conjugative transposons proceeds by excision and formation of a covalently closed circular Intermediate that includes at its joint the six flanking bases from its previous host (coupling sequences). To elucidate the role of the coupling sequences in this process and to determine the sequence of targets used by Tn916, we studied its insertion into a plasmid following conjugation. The results differ from those previously observed when Tn916 was introduced by transformation. They suggest that only one specific strand of the transposon molecule is transferred during the conjugation event and that complementary strand synthesis produces a double-stranded transposon circle with no mismatches which serves as the reaction intermediate. Tn916 inserts preferentially at specific sites and the same targets are used when Tn916 comes from donors with different coupling sequences. An analysis of the sequences of preferred targets is presented.     

Transposon-induced symbiotic mutants of Bradyrhizobium japonicum: isolation of two gene regions essential for nodulation

Summary Two strains of the soybean endosymbiont Bradyrhizobium japonicum, USDA 110 and 61 A101 C, were mutagenized with transposon Tn5. After plant infection tests of a total of 6,926 kanamycin and streptomycin resistant transconjugants, 25 mutants were identified that are defective in nodule formation (Nod^-) or nitrogen fixation (Fix^-). Seven Nod^- mutants were isolated from strain USDA 110 and from strain 61 A101 C, 4 Nod^- mutants and 14 Fix^- mutants were identified. Subsequent auxotrophic tests on these symbiotically defective mutants identified 4 His^- Nod^- mutants of USDA 110. Genomic Southern analysis of the 25 mutants revealed that each of them carried a single copy of Tn5 integrated in the genome. Three 61 A101 C Fix^- mutants were found to have vector DNA co-integrated along with Tn5 in the genome. Two independent DNA regions flanking Tn5 were cloned from the three nonauxotrophic Nod^- mutants and one His^-Nod^- mutant of USDA 110. Homogenotization of the cloned fragments into wild-type strain USDA 110 and subsequent nodulation assay of the resulting homogenotes confirmed that the Tn5 insertion was responsible for the Nod^- phenotype. Partial EcoR1 restriction enzyme maps around the Tn5 insertion sites were generated. Hybridization of these cloned regions to the previously cloned nod regions of R. meliloti and nif and nod regions of B. japonicum USDA 110 showed no homology, suggesting that these regions represent new symbiotic clusters of B. japonicum.