Presence of Megaplasmids in Rhizobium tropici and Further Evidence of Differences between the Two R. tropici Subtypes

Using a modified Eckhardt method, we visualized replicons larger than 1,000 kb in Rhizobium tropici strains belonging to both subgroup A and subgroup B. The megaplasmid of R. tropici CFN299 was characterized. This megaplasmid is different from a cointegrate of various plasmids and from the chromosome. Hybridization of Eckhardt blots of 15 R. tropici strains with fragments derived from the megaplasmids of the type strains of subgroups A and B revealed that the megaplasmids are subgroup specific.