A Sinorhizobium meliloti minE mutant has an altered morphology and exhibits defects in legume symbiosis

Sinorhizobium meliloti differentiates from rod-shaped, free-living cells into pleomorphic, non-dividing, N(2)-fixing bacteroids within alfalfa root nodules. Here, the role of the minCDE genes in bacteroid differentiation and in free-living cell division is examined. Disruption of the minE gene resulted in large, swollen and branched free-living cells, and in symbiosis a minE mutation resulted in a defect in nitrogen fixation with activity …