title: Implementation of the agmatine-controlled expression system for inducible gene expression in Lactococcus lactis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lactococcus lactis has been safely consumed in fermented foods for millennia. This Gram-positive bacterium has now become of industrial importance as an expression host for the overproduction of lipopolysaccharide-free recombinant proteins used as food ingredients, therapeutic proteins and biotechnological enzymes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This paper reports an agmatine-controlled expression (ACE) system for L. lactis, comprising the lactococcal agmatine-sensor/transcriptional activator AguR and its target promoter P(aguB). The usefulness and efficiency of this system was checked via the reporter gene gfp and by producing PEP (Myxococcus xanthus prolyl-endopeptidase), an enzyme of biomedical interest able to degrade the immunotoxic peptides produced during the gastrointestinal breakdown of gluten.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ACE system developed in this work was suitable for the efficient expression of the functional recombinant proteins GFP and PEP. The expression system was tightly regulated by the agmatine concentration and allowed high protein production without leakiness.
authors.affiliation: Dairy Research Institute, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), Paseo Rio Linares s/n, 33300, Villaviciosa, Spain. daniml@ipla.csic.es.
authors.forename: Daniel M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Linares
authors.affiliation: Dairy Research Institute, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), Paseo Rio Linares s/n, 33300, Villaviciosa, Spain. p.a.sieiro@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Sieiro
authors.affiliation: Dairy Research Institute, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), Paseo Rio Linares s/n, 33300, Villaviciosa, Spain. beadelrio@ipla.csic.es.
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: del Rio
authors.affiliation: Dairy Research Institute, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), Paseo Rio Linares s/n, 33300, Villaviciosa, Spain. ladero@ipla.csic.es.
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ladero
authors.affiliation: Dairy Research Institute, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), Paseo Rio Linares s/n, 33300, Villaviciosa, Spain. bredruel@ipla.csic.es.
authors.forename: Begoña
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Redruello
authors.affiliation: Dairy Research Institute, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), Paseo Rio Linares s/n, 33300, Villaviciosa, Spain. mcm@ipla.csic.es.
authors.forename: Ma Cruz
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Dairy Research Institute, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), Paseo Rio Linares s/n, 33300, Villaviciosa, Spain. mfernandez@ipla.csic.es.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.affiliation: Dairy Research Institute, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), Paseo Rio Linares s/n, 33300, Villaviciosa, Spain. maag@ipla.csic.es.
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Alvarez
mesh_terms: D000376:Agmatine / Q000378:metabolism*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D013294:Lactococcus lactis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000376:Agmatine