An inducible promoter is a part of the DNA molecule that controls the expression of a specific gene. It can be switched on or off by certain external signals or substances. Full definition
Engineered bacterial cells that are designed to express therapeutic enzymes under the transcriptional control of remotely inducible promoters can mediate the de novo conversion of nontoxic prodrugs in their cytotoxic forms. (sciencedaily.com)
This approach, especially when coupled with no or low leakage inducible promoters (e.g., PBADT7, Figure 1B), may be particularly effective for identifying microbial hosts that are tolerant to target or pathway intermediate compounds that are toxic to model microbes such as E. coli. (microbialcellfactories.biomedcentral.com)