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Mapping Bacterial Functional Networks and Pathways in Escherichia Coli using Synthetic Genetic Arrays
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Published on: November 12, 2012

Are essential genes really essential?

Michael A D'Elia1, Mark P Pereira, Eric D Brown

  • 1Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences and the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada.

Trends in Microbiology
|September 22, 2009
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Bacterial gene essentiality is context-dependent. Genome-scale studies reveal that gene function and genetic interactions challenge the traditional definition of essential genes, highlighting their conditional nature.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genomics
  • Systems Biology

Background:

  • Bacterial genome sequencing has spurred interest in gene essentiality.
  • Laboratory studies define essential gene sets under standard conditions.
  • Many essential genes have poorly described functions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To re-evaluate the definition of essential genes.
  • To explore paradoxes in gene essentiality related to growth conditions and genetic context.
  • To understand the implications of genetic redundancy on essentiality phenotypes.

Main Methods:

  • Genome-scale essential gene set determination.
  • Analysis of prokaryotic physiology.
  • Genome-scale genetic interaction studies.

Main Results:

  • Numerous essential genes with unknown functions were identified.
  • Paradoxes arose concerning growth conditions and genetic context.
  • Genetic interaction studies revealed significant redundancy in biological systems.

Conclusions:

  • The phenotype of essentiality is highly contextual.
  • Single gene mutations may not always lead to dispensability due to redundancy.
  • A nuanced view of gene essentiality is required.