A novel system for efficient gene expression and monitoring of bacteria in aquatic environments

In a previous study, we reported the identification of Escherichia coli genes with increased expression in an aquatic environment. Here, we describe the use of one of these genes, gapC, as an expression system in freshwater habitats. We have identified the transcriptional start site of gapC and analysed the synthesis of the GapC protein during incubation in aquatic medium. The promoter of gapC was used to construct fusions to the reporter genes lacZ and gfp. Analysis of these fusions indicates the potential of gapC as a valuable tool for the detection of E. coli in freshwater habitats, as well as for expressing other genes in aquatic environments.