title: Identification of anthranilate and benzoate metabolic operons of Pseudomonas fluorescens and functional characterization of their promoter regions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In an effort to identify alternate recombinant gene expression systems in Pseudomonas fluorescens, we identified genes encoding two native metabolic pathways that were inducible with inexpensive compounds: the anthranilate operon (antABC) and the benzoate operon (benABCD).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The antABC and benABCD operons were identified by homology to the Acinetobacter sp. anthranilate operon and Pseudomonas putida benzoate operon, and were confirmed to be regulated by anthranilate or benzoate, respectively. Fusions of the putative promoter regions to the E. coli lacZ gene were constructed to confirm inducible gene expression. Each operon was found to be controlled by an AraC family transcriptional activator, located immediately upstream of the first structural gene in each respective operon (antR or benR).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have found the anthranilate and benzoate promoters to be useful for tightly controlling recombinant gene expression at both small (< 1 L) and large (20 L) fermentation scales.
authors.affiliation: The Dow Chemical Company, Biotechnology Research and Development, 5501 Oberlin Dr, San Diego, CA 92121, USA. dmretallack@dow.com
authors.forename: Diane M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Retallack
authors.forename: Tracey C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.forename: Keith L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Haney
authors.forename: Sol M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Resnick
authors.forename: Vincent D
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Charles H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Squires