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The construction of plasmid pVKH300, which is useful for modifying any promoter into the thermoregulated form in B. subtilis cells, is presented. The main features of the plasmid are the presence of effectively expressed in B. subtilis lambda C1857 gene and recognition site of BglII restriction enzyme between OR2 and OR3 lambda phage operator sites. Promoterless alpha-amylase gene of B. amyloliquefaciens is used as a reporter gene for promoter cloning into BglII site of pVKH300. Examples of promoter-containing DNA fragments cloning with pVKH300 as vector are presented. It was found that the best regulated promoter, in a plasmid named pVKH332, was cloned in such a way that the distance between central nucleotides of OR2 and OR3 is equal to integer number of DNA helix turns (84 b.p. in the case).

Several sequences, resembling vegetative promoters and ribosome-binding sites of Bacilli were found in the primary structure of the replication region of Streptococci plasmid pSM19035. Promoterless alpha-amylase gene of Bac. amyloliquefaciens and lambda cI857 gene, supplied with BamHI site upstream of the initiator ATG-codon, were used for functional characterization of the structures. As a result, Bac. subtilis synthesized alpha-amylase up to 0.5 g/l, and lambda-repressor up to 3% of the intracellular water-soluble protein. The repressor, synthesized in Bac. subtilis, regulates lambda PR promoter in the cells. Plasmid pCB22 is constructed for the convenience of usage of the found expression unit, called EU19035. The plasmid has BamHI and BgIII sites on different distances from the ribosome-binding site.