Directed construction and analysis of a Sinorhizobium meliloti pSymA deletion mutant library

Resources from the Sinorhizobium meliloti Rm1021 open reading frame (ORF) plasmid libraries were used in a medium-throughput method to construct a set of 50 overlapping deletion mutants covering all of the Rm1021 pSymA megaplasmid except the replicon region. Each resulting pSymA derivative carried a defined deletion of approximately 25 ORFs. Various phenotypes, including cytochrome c respiration activity, the ability of the mutants to grow on various carbon and nitrogen sources, and the symbiotic effectiveness of the mutants with alfalfa, were analyzed. This approach allowed us to systematically evaluate the potential impact of regions of Rm1021 pSymA for their free-living and symbiotic phenotypes.