The effect of FITA mutations on the symbiotic properties of Sinorhizobium fredii varies in a chromosomal-background-dependent manner.

nodD1 of Sinorhizobium fredii HH103, which is identical to that of S. fredii USDA257 and USDA191, repressed its own expression. Spontaneous flavonoid-independent transcription activation (FITA) mutants of S. fredii HH103 M (=HH103 RifR pSym::Tn 5-Mob) showing constitutive expression of nod genes were isolated. No differences were found among soybean cultivar Williams plants inoculated with FITA mutants SVQ250 or SVQ253 or with the parental strain HH103M. Soybean plants inoculated with mutant SVQ255 formed more nodules, and those inoculated with mutant SVQ251 had symptoms of nitrogen starvation. Sequence analyses showed that all of the FITA mutants carried a point mutation in their nodD1 coding region. Mutants SVQ251 and SVQ253 carried the same mutation, but only the former was symbiotically impaired, which indicated the presence of an additional mutation elsewhere in the genome of mutant SVQ251. Mutants SVQ251 and SVQ255 were outcompeted by the parental strain for nodulation of soybean cultivar Williams. The symbiotic plasmids of mutants SVQ251 and SVQ255 (pSym251 and pSym255, respectively) and that (pSymHH103M) of the parental strain were transferred to pSym-cured derivatives of S. fredii USDA192 and USDA193 (USDA192C and USDA193C, respectively). Soybean responses to inoculation with S. fredii USDA192C and USDA193C transconjugants carrying pSym251 and pSymHH103M were not significantly different, whereas more nodules were formed after inoculation with transconjugants carrying pSym255. Only transconjugant USDA192C(pSym255) produced a significant increase in soybean dry weight.