Autogenous regulation of ribosomal protein (r-protein) synthesis plays a key role in maintaining the stoichiometry of ribosomal components in bacteria. Our main goal was to develop techniques for investigating the r-protein synthesis regulation in mycobacteria, Gram-positive organisms with a high GC-content, which has never been addressed. We started with the rpsO gene known to be autoregulated by its product, r-protein S15, in a broad range of bacterial species. To study the in vivo regulation of rpsO from Mycobacterium smegmatis (Msm), we first applied an approach based on chromosomally integrated Msm rpsO'-'lacZ reporters by using E. coli as a surrogate host. The β-galactosidase assay has shown that mycobacterial rpsO expression is feedback regulated at the translation level in the presence of Msm S15 in trans, like in E. coli. Next, to overcome difficulties caused by the inefficiency of mycobacterial gene expression in E. coli, we created a fluorescent reporter system based on M. smegmatis. To this end, the integrative shuttle plasmid pMV306 was modified to provide insertion of the Msm or Mtb (M. tuberculosis) rpsO-egfp reporters into the Msm chromosome, and a novel E. coli- mycobacteria replicative shuttle vector, pAMYC, a derivative of pACYC184, was built. Analysis of the eGFP expression in the presence of the pAMYC derivative expressing MsmrpsO vs an empty vector confirms the autogenous regulation of the rpsO gene in mycobacteria. Additionally, we have revealed that the mycobacterial rpsO core promoters are rather weak and require upstream activating elements to enhance their strength.