Table 1 Bacterial Strains and Plasmids

E. coli

DH5α

EndA1, hsdR17, supE44, thi-1, recA1, gyrA96, relA1, • (argF-lacZYA), U169, φ 80dlacZ ΔM15

Life Technologies

S17-1

Sp^r. RP4 tra region, mobilizer strain

[51]

Rhizobium leguminosarum

VF39SM

biovar viciae, Sm^r

[52]

HLG1

VF39SM, mcpG:: ΩSp; Sm^r, Sp^r

This work

HLG2

VF39SM, mcpG:: ΩSp; Sm^r, Sp^r

This work

LRS39401

VF39SM cured of pRleVF39d

[48]

LRS39601

VF39SM cured of pRleVF39f

[48]

T3CB

biovar viciae, 1062 derivative,

[53]

W14-2

biovar trifolii, Sm^r

[18]

8002

biovar phaseoli

[54]

8401

8002 cured of pSym plasmid

[54]

GF160

biovar viciae, Sm^r,

[55]

3841

biovar viciae, JB300 derivative

[56]

162Y10

biovar trifolii

[57]

Plasmids

pBSIISK(+)

Cloning vector, Ap^r

Stratagene

pCYΩSp

Sp resistance gene from pHP45Ω [58] flanked by MCS of p1918

[35]

p1918

vector with a MCS composed of inverted repeats of the pUC19 MCS, Ap^r

[59]

pJQ200mp18

delivery vector for gene replacement, Gm^r

[34]

pKC42

6 kb Bam HI VF39SM genomic fragment containing mcpG cloned into pBSIISK(+)

This work

pCYG1

Bcl I fragment with mcpG ORF cloned into pJQ200mp18

This work

pCYG2

Derivative of pCYG1 with ΩSp cassette cloned into mcpG gene

This work