Random Mutagenesis of the H. pylori Genome

Transposable elements are well-known genetic tools that enable the geneticist to generate mutations by disrupting the linear continuity of a specific gene and, consequently, affect its expression. This approach, in addition to providing an efficient way to create mutants, which are easily detectable because of the acquisition of drug resistance phenotype (when a drug-resistance transposable element is used), also provides an easy way to recover and identify the mutated gene. Several genetic systems have been developed in the past for many bacterial species and have permitted random and generalized mutagenesis to be performed on given genomes by introducing, via conjugation, suicide plasmids harboring transposable elements. Unfortunately, such transposon delivery systems have not yet been found to be functional in Helicobacter pylori.