Development of a novel plasmid vector pTIO-1 adapted for electrotransformation of Porphyromonas gingivalis

We report here the construction of a plasmid vector designed for the efficient electrotransformation of the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis. The novel Escherichia coli-Bacteroides/P. gingivalis shuttle vector, designated pTIO-1, is based on the 11.0-kb E. coli-Bacteroides conjugative shuttle vector, pVAL-1 (a pB8-51 derivative). To construct pTIO-1, the pB8-51 origin of replication and erythromycin resistance determinant of pVAL-1 were cloned into the E. coli cloning vector pBluescript II SK(−) and non-functional regions were deleted. pTIO-1 has an almost complete multiple cloning site from pBluescript II SK(−). The size of pTIO-1 is 4.5 kb, which is convenient for routine gene manipulation. pTIO-1 was introduced into P. gingivalis via electroporation, and erythromycin-resistant transformants carrying pTIO-1 were obtained. We characterized the transformation efficiency, copy number, host range, stability, and insert size capacity of pTIO-1. An efficient plasmid electrotransformation of P. gingivalis will facilitate functional analysis and expression of P. gingivalis genes, including the virulence factors of this bacterium.