title: Employing site-specific recombination for conditional genetic analysis in Sinorhizobium meliloti.
abstract: The ability to remove a genetic function from an organism with good temporal resolution is crucial for characterizing essential genes or genes that act in complex developmental programs. The rhizobium-legume symbiosis involves an elaborate two-organism interaction requiring multiple levels of signal exchange. As an important step toward probing rhizobium genetic functions with temporal resolution, we present the development of a conditional gene deletion system in Sinorhizobium meliloti that employs Cre/loxP site-specific recombination. This system enables chemically inducible and irreversible gene deletion or gene upregulation. Recombinase-mediated excision events can be positively or negatively selected or monitored by a colorimetric assay. The system may be adaptable to various bacterial species, in which recombinase activity may be placed under the control of diverse user-defined promoters. This system also shows promise for uses in promoter trapping and biosensing applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
authors.forename: Clarice L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Matthew B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Crook
authors.forename: Gledi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Peco
authors.forename: Sharon R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: Joel S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Griffitts
mesh_terms: D000093:Acetoin / Q000378:metabolism; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects; D055786:Gene Knockout Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005827:Genetics, Microbial / Q000379:methods*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D016962:Sinorhizobium meliloti / Q000235:genetics*; D013654:Taurine / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D013654:Taurine; D000093:Acetoin