A modular plasmid toolkit applied in marine bacteria reveals functional insights during bacteria-stimulated metamorphosis.

ABSTRACT: A conspicuous roadblock to studying marine bacteria for fundamental research and biotechnology is a lack of modular synthetic biology tools for their genetic manipulation. Here, we applied, and generated new parts for, a modular plasmid toolkit to study marine bacteria in the context of symbioses and host-microbe interactions. To demonstrate the utility of this plasmid system, we genetically manipulated the marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas luteoviolacea, which stimulates the metamorphosis of the model tubeworm, Hydroides elegans. Using these tools, we quantified constitutive and native promoter expression, developed reporter strains that enable the imaging of host-bacteria interactions, and used CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) to knock down a secondary metabolite and a host-a

SUBMITTER: Alker AT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10470607 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature