Mutation in the pssB-pssA intergenic region of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii affects the surface polysaccharides synthesis and nitrogen fixation ability

A Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii Tn5 transposon mutant deficient in exopolysaccharide biosynthesis was found to form non-nitrogen fixing nodules on clover. Root nodules induced by the mutant contained aberrant infection threads and few bacteroids. Sequence analysis of the transposon insertion site localized the mutation in the pssB-pssA intergenic region affecting the exopolysaccharide biosynthesis. The mutant also showed decreased sensitivity to SDS and deoxycholate and displayed a changed lipopolysaccharide (LPS) banding pattern compared to the wild-type strain TA1. The alteration in the O-polysaccharide part of LPS was confirmed by Western immunoblotting with polyclonal antibodies. LPS preparations of strain TA1 and the mutant strain only reacted with their homologous sera. The common epitopes in LPS from bacteroids and free-living rhizobia were revealed by immunogold assay. The results of this study indicate that the pssB-pssA region of R. leguminosarum bv. trifolii is important for the polysaccharide synthesis.