A Modular Vector Toolkit with a Tailored Set of Thermosensors To Regulate Gene Expression in Thermus thermophilus

ACS Omega. 2019 Aug 27;4(11):14626-14632. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.9b02107. eCollection 2019 Sep 10.

Abstract

Modular plasmid architectures have shown to be a very useful resource to standardize, build, share, and compare biological parts and functional vectors, and are being applied in an increasing number of microorganisms. Here, we present a modular plasmid toolkit for Thermus thermophilus, a species considered as a workhorse for biotechnology and a model for high-temperature biology. Apart from integrating improved versions of already existing parts, we have characterized specific promoters and developed a thermosensor-based palette that restricts the expression to Thermus and, at the same time, controls protein expression in this organism in a temperature-dependent manner.