Construction of shuttle cloning vectors for Bacteroides fragilis and use in assaying foreign tetracycline resistance gene expression

Shuttle vectors capable of replication in both Escherichia coli and Bacteroides fragilis have been developed. Conjugal transfer of these plasmids from E. coli to B. fragilis is facilitated by inclusion of the origin of transfer of the IncP plasmid RK2. The vectors pDK1 and pDK2 provide unique sites for cloning selectable markers in Bacteroides. pOA10 is a cosmid vector containing the replication region of pCP1 necessary for maintenance in Bacteroides. pDK3, pDK4.1, and pDK4.2 contain the Bacteroides clindamycin resistance gene allowing selection and maintenance in B. fragilis of plasmids containing inserted DNA fragments. pDK3 was used to test the expression in B. fragilis of five foreign tetracycline resistance (TcR) genes. The tetA, -B, and -C markers from facultative gram-negative bacteria, as well as a TcR determinant from Clostridium perfringens, did not express TcR in B. fragilis. The tetM gene, originally described in streptococci, encoded a small but reproducible increase of TcR in Bacteroides. These studies demonstrate the utility of shuttle vectors for introducing cloned genes into Bacteroides and underscore the differences in gene expression in these anaerobes.