Fewer essential genes in mycoplasmas than previous studies suggest.
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.
Dybvig
Kevin
K
Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA. dybvig@uab.edu
Lao
Ping
P
Jordan
David S
DS
Simmons
Warren L
WL
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
D001426:Bacterial Proteins