Detection of genes essential in specific niches by signature-tagged mutagenesis.
Variations of the signature-tagged mutagenesis (STM) technique are now possible and the method can be applied to most pathogens that have an STM-selectable phenotype in a host system. STM screening of 15,040 mutants from 11 bacterial species identified 323 in vivo attenuated mutants. As a genome-scanning tool, STM will yield information about genes with unknown functions as well as information crucial for understanding microbial pathogenesis.
Lehoux
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DE
Microbiologie Moléculaire et Génie des Protéines, Pavillon Charles-Eugène Marchand et Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Sainte-Foy, G1K 7P4, Québec, Canada.
Levesque
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RC
D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005658:Fungi / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005821:Genetic Techniques; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional / Q000379:methods*; D010271:Parasites / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics*