Elastase gene expression in non-elastase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains using novel shuttle vector systems.

In order to determine whether non-elastase-producing strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa such as N-10, PA103 and IFO3080 can express foreign elastase genes, we introduced elastase genes from P. aeruginosa IFO3455 (elastase-producing) as well as from PA103 and N-10 into non-elastase-producing P. aeruginosa strains. Results suggested that gene expression, secretion, and precursor processing systems of elastase were essentially normal in P. aeruginosa N-10 and IFO3080. Our studies using various elastase genes showed that both the elastase structural gene and 5'-upstream regions of P. aeruginosa PA103 were also normal. This was confirmed by the finding that P. aeruginosa N-10 and IFO3080 which carry the PA103 elastase gene produced elastase. Several deleted or chimeric genes were constructed using the 5'-upstream regions of elastase genes from P. aeruginosa N-10 or PA103 and studies of expression revealed that two individual DNA bases seem to be important in suppressing P. aeruginosa N-10 elastase gene expression. Possible reasons for the lack of elastase expression in these non-elastase-producing strains are discussed.