Development of a Plasmid Shuttle Vector System for Genetic Manipulation of Chlamydia psittaci

Abstract

Psittacosis, caused by avian C. psittaci , has a major economic impact in the poultry industry worldwide and represents a significant risk for zoonotic transmission to humans. In the past decade, the tools of genetic manipulation have been improved for chlamydial molecular studies. While several genetic tools have been mainly developed in Chlamydia trachomatis , a stable gene-inducible shuttle vector system has not to date been available for C. psittaci . In this study, we adapted a C. trachomatis plasmid shuttle vector system to C. psittaci . We constructed a C. psittaci plasmid backbone shuttle vector called pCps-Tet-mCherry. The construct expresses GFP in C. psittaci . Importantly, exogeneous genes can be inserted at an MCS and are regulated by a tet promoter. The application of the pCps-Tet-mCherry shuttle vector system enables a promising new approach to investigate unknown gene functions of this pathogen.