Green fluorescent protein as a novel marker and reporter system in Helicobacter sp.

In order to be able to study gene regulation in single, live Helicobacter pylori bacteria in vitro or in contact with host cells, we established the green fluorescent protein gene gfp from Aequorea victoria as a reporter gene for use with Helicobacter species. We describe here the construction of genomic transcriptional fusions of the promoterless gfp gene with the flaA and flaB promoters of H. pylori. We have also constructed a Mini-Tn3-km-gfp transposon to be used for shuttle transposon mutagenesis in H. pylori and H. mustelae. A marker strain with wild-type phenotype, carrying multiple plasmid-borne copies of gfp under the control of the H. pylori flaB promoter, was constructed for studies of bacterial distribution and transmission in animal models.