The Bradyrhizobium japonicum serocluster 123 hyperreiterated DNA region, HRS1, has DNA and amino acid sequence homology to IS1380, an insertion sequence from Acetobacter pasteurianus.

We have sequenced and analyzed the hyperreiterated DNA region, HRS1, from Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 424. The 2.1-kb HRS1 fragment is closely linked to the B. japonicum common and genotype-specific nodulation genes in serogroup 123 and 127 strains. Southern hybridization analyses indicated that one copy of HRS1 is also located next to the fixRnifA locus in B. japonicum USDA 424. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed the presence of a 4-bp target site duplication in HRS1 which is identical to a terminal repeat found in the B. japonicum USDA 110 repeated sequence RS alpha. Computer searches of the PIR (Protein Identification Resource) protein data base revealed a high degree of amino acid sequence homology between a putative 329-amino-acid polypeptide from HRS1 and a large polypeptide from IS1380, an insertion sequence from Acetobacter pasteurianus. RNA slot blot hybridizations suggest that transcripts showing homology to HRS1 are constitutively produced in strains USDA 424 (serogroup 127) and USDA 438 (serogroup 123).