title: Natural genetic transformation: A novel tool for efficient genetic engineering of the dairy bacterium Streptococcus thermophilus.
abstract: Streptococcus thermophilus is widely used for the manufacture of yoghurt and Swiss or Italian-type cheeses. These products have a market value of approximately 40 billion dollars per year, making S. thermophilus a species that has major economic importance. Even though the fermentation properties of this bacterium have been gradually improved by classical methods, there is great potential for further improvement through genetic engineering. Due to the recent publication of three complete genome sequences, it is now possible to use a rational approach for designing S. thermophilus starter strains with improved properties. Progress in this field, however, is hampered by a lack of genetic tools. Therefore, we developed a system, based on natural transformation, which makes genetic manipulations in S. thermophilus easy, rapid, and highly efficient. The efficiency of this novel tool should make it possible to construct food-grade mutants of S. thermophilus, opening up exciting new possibilities that should benefit consumers as well as the dairy industry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 5003, 1432 As, Norway.
authors.forename: Trinelise
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Blomqvist
authors.forename: Hilde
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Steinmoen
authors.forename: Leiv Sigve
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Håvarstein
mesh_terms: D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D048249:Streptococcus thermophilus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014170:Transformation, Genetic; D015014:Yogurt / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial