Genome structure of the genus Azospirillum.

Azospirillum species are plant-associated diazotrophs of the alpha subclass of Proteobacteria. The genomes of five of the six Azospirillum species were analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. All strains possessed several megareplicons, some probably linear, and 16S ribosomal DNA hybridization indicated multiple chromosomes in genomes ranging in size from 4.8 to 9.7 Mbp. The nifHDK operon was identified in the largest replicon.