A new insertion sequence, IS292, located in the 6b gene of a nopaline-
type Agrobacterium strain (X88-292) isolated from poplar was identifie
d and sequenced. IS292 is 2494 bp long, has 21 bp inverted terminal re
peats with two mismatches, and generates 10 bp direct repeats upon int
egration. No sequence similarity was found between IS292 and other ins
ertion elements associated with Agrobacterium, but it shows strong sim
ilarity with ISRl1 from Rhizobium leguminosarum by. viciae. The occurr
ence of IS292-like sequences in various Agrobacterium isolates, especi
ally different Agrobacterium strains isolated from the same biotope, w
as demonstrated by DNA hybridization.