Changes in the<i>Rhizobium meliloti</i>Genome and the Ability to Detect Supercoiled Plasmids During Bacteroid Development

Abstract

Because supercoiled plasmids were not detected in mature bacteroids in these experiments, we have used gels to determine the stage of development at which they cease to be detectable. The timing was found to be consistent with the arrest of Division of differentiating cell in the nodule and with the doubling of their DNA content