title: Fewer essential genes in mycoplasmas than previous studies suggest.
abstract: Here, we describe mutants of Mycoplasma pulmonis that were obtained using a minitransposon, Tn4001TF1, which actively transposes but is then unable to undergo subsequent excision events. Using Tn4001TF1, we disrupted 39 genes previously thought to be essential for growth. Thus, the number of genes required for growth has been overestimated. This study also revealed evidence of gene duplications in M. pulmonis and identified chromosome segregation proteins that are dispensable in mycoplasmas but essential in Bacillus subtilis.
authors: Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA. dybvig@uab.edu
authors: Kevin
authors: K
authors: Dybvig
authors: Ping
authors: P
authors: Lao
authors: David S
authors: DS
authors: Jordan
authors: Warren L
authors: WL
authors: Simmons
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020440:Gene Duplication; D020043:Genes, Essential; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009174:Mycoplasma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins