The Bare Necessities: Uncovering Essential and Condition‐Critical Genes with Transposon Sequencing

Summary

Querying gene function in bacteria has been greatly accelerated by the advent of transposon sequencing (Tn‐seq) technologies (related Tn‐seq strategies are known as TraDIS, INSeq, RB‐TnSeq and HITS). Pooled populations of transposon mutants are cultured in an environment and next‐generation sequencing tools are used to determine areas of the genome that are important for bacterial fitness. In this review we provide an overview of Tn‐seq methodologies and discuss how Tn‐seq has been applied, or could be applied, to the study of oral microbiology. These applications include studying the essential genome as a means to rationally design therapeutic agents. Tn‐seq has also contributed to our understanding of well‐studied biological processes in oral bacteria. Other important applications include in vivo pathogenesis studies and use of Tn‐seq to probe the molecular basis of microbial interactions. We also highlight recent advancements in techniques that act in synergy with Tn‐seq such as CRISPR interference and microfluidic chip platforms.

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