Isolation and characterization of a xylose-dependent promoter from Caulobacter crescentus

An inducible promoter is a useful tool for the controlled expression of a given gene. Accordingly, we identified, cloned, and sequenced a chromosomal locus, xylX, from Caulobacter crescentus which is required for growth on xylose as the sole carbon source and showed that transcription from a single site is dependent on the presence of xylose in the growth medium. P(xylX) promoter activity was determined as a function of the composition of the growth medium both in single copy and on a plasmid using different reporter genes. One hundred micromolar exogenously added xylose was required for maximal induction of P(xylX) in a strain that is unable to metabolize xylose. P(xylX) activity was induced immediately after the addition of xylose and repressed almost completely when xylose was removed from the growth medium. In addition to the strong transcriptional control, the expression of xylX is also regulated on the translational level.