Expanding the genetic toolbox of the obligate predatory bacterium <i>Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus</i> with inducible gene expression and CRISPR interference.

ABSTRACT: Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is an obligate predatory bacterium that invades the periplasm of diderm prey bacteria, where it elongates and produces multiple daughter cells through nonbinary division. Investigating the molecular determinants of this lifecycle is challenging because deleting genes required for predation also impairs survival. Furthermore, the scarcity of robust conditional gene expression systems has restricted functional studies in this bacterium. Here, we address these limitations by expanding the genetic toolbox for B. bacteriovorus. First, we analysed the relative strength of a series of promoters, providing new resources to fine-tune gene expression. We then established an isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG)-inducible expression system that can be a

SUBMITTER: de Pierpont C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12448681 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature