Controlled expression in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Shigella flexneri using a bacteriophage P1-derived C1-regulated promoter system.

The utility of promoters regulated by the bacteriophage P1 temperature-sensitive C1 repressor was examined in Shigella flexneri and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Promoters carrying C1 operator sites driving LacZ expression had induction/repression ratios of up to 240-fold in S. flexneri and up to 50-fold in K. pneumoniae. The promoters exhibited remarkably low basal expression, demonstrated modulation by temperature, and showed rapid induction. This system will provide a new opportunity for controlled gene expression in enteric gram-negative bacteria.