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Genes found essential in other mycoplasmas are dispensable in Mycoplasma bovis

Shukriti Sharma1, Philip F Markham1, Glenn F Browning1

  • 1Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.

Plos One
|June 5, 2014
PubMed

Insights

This study identified non-essential genes in Mycoplasma bovis, challenging previous assumptions about essential genes in mycoplasmas. The findings expand our understanding of minimal genomes for bacterial survival.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genomics
  • Bacterial Pathogenesis

Background:

  • Mycoplasmas serve as models for minimal genome research.
  • Mycoplasma bovis is a significant veterinary pathogen with global distribution.
  • Previous genomic data exists for M. bovis, but functional genomics studies are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To create and analyze an insertional mutant library of Mycoplasma bovis PG45.
  • To identify genes that are non-essential for M. bovis survival.
  • To compare essentiality of genes across different Mycoplasma species.

Main Methods:

  • Generation of a Tn4001-based transposon mutant library in M. bovis PG45.
  • High-throughput sequencing of 319 independent insertion mutants.
  • Bioinformatic analysis to identify disrupted genes and their homologs.

Main Results:

  • Disruptions were identified in 129 M. bovis genes.
  • Homologs of disrupted genes were found in Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides SC and Mycoplasma agalactiae.
  • Sixteen genes previously considered essential were found to be dispensable in M. bovis.

Conclusions:

  • This study significantly expands the list of known non-essential genes in mycoplasmas.
  • The findings challenge the concept of a fixed core set of essential genes across all mycoplasmas.
  • Re-evaluation of essential gene sets is necessary based on species-specific functional genomics data.

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