Use of a green fluorescent protein gene as a reporter in Zymomonas mobilisand Halomonas elongata

We investigated the applicability of the green fluorescent protein of Aequo rea victoria as a reporter for gene expression in the strictly fermentative Gram-negative ethanologenic bacterium Zymomonas mobilis and in the moderat ely halophilic bacterium Halomonas elongata. We have succeeded to express a mutated gene of green fluorescent protein under the control of different p romoters in Z. mobilis and H. elongata grown under various glucose or salt concentrations, respectively. Our results demonstrate that gfp can serve as an easily assayable reporter gene in both organisms. Maximum fluorescence was obtained in Z. mobilis grown aerobically and in H. elongata grown under elevated salt concentration in solid medium. For both bacteria the fluores cence obtained was higher when the gf gene was placed under the control of a native promoter. (C) 2001 Federation of European Microbiological Societie s. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.. All rights reserved.