Temporal gene regulation enables controlled expression of gas vesicles and preserves bacterial viability.

ABSTRACT: Gas vesicles (GVs) are genetically encodable, air-filled protein nanostructures that have rapidly emerged as a versatile platform for biomedical imaging, cell tracking, and therapeutic delivery. However, in non-native hosts such as Escherichia coli, heterologous expression is hampered by a complex assembly involving ~10 proteins, provoking proteotoxic stress and impaired growth. Here we report a reproducible drop in cell density and viability 8-16 h after GV induction. To address these, we develop a dual-inducer transcriptional system that orthogonally controls assembly factors and the shell protein GvpA2 over a range of stoichiometries. Sequential expression by initiating assembly factors before GvpA2 restores growth without compromising GV production. We further show that the interval be

SUBMITTER: Li Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12848028 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature