A new plasmid vector for regulated gene expression in Bacillus subtilis

We have developed a novel regulated expression vector for Bacillus subtilis based on the Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pUB110. This vector, named pPR54, carries the PR promoter and the cI857 gene (encoding a temperature-sensitive transcriptional repressor) from the Escherichia coli phage λ. Using the gfp gene from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria as a reporter, we show that pPR54 is a useful vector for controllable production of heterologous proteins in B. subtilis.