Abstract
The number of indispensable chromosomal loci for a bacterium, Bacillus subtilis was estimated. Seventy-nine randomly selected chromosomal loci were investigated by mutagenesis. Mutation at only six loci rendered B. subtilis unable to form colonies. In contrast, mutants for the rest of the 73 loci retained the ability to form colonies. Mutant B. subtilis with multiple-fold mutations of those dispensable loci (7-, 12- or 33-fold) were not impaired in their ability to form colonies on nutritionally adequate medium, indicating that up to 33 dispensable loci were simultaneously abolished. Given the statistical analyses for the frequency of indispensable loci (6 out of 79), total indispensable genetic material would be included within about 562 kbp. The hypothetical minimum genome size lies in the range of those currently determined smallest genomes for bacteria.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 257-260 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | FEBS Letters |
| Volume | 362 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1995 Apr 10 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Colony formation
- Dispensable gene
- Indispensable gene
- Minimal genome
- Mutagenesis
- Nutrition
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biophysics
- Structural Biology
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Cell Biology