Hayes Finbarr
Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, PO Box 88, Manchester M60 1QD, England.
Annu Rev Genet. 2003;37:3-29. doi: 10.1146/annurev.genet.37.110801.142807.
Transposons are mobile genetic elements that can relocate from one genomic location to another. As well as modulating gene expression and contributing to genome plasticity and evolution, transposons are remarkably diverse molecular tools for both whole-genome and single-gene studies in bacteria, yeast, and other microorganisms. Efficient but simple in vitro transposition reactions now allow the mutational analysis of previously recalcitrant microorganisms. Transposon-based signature-tagged mutagenesis and genetic footprinting strategies have pinpointed essential genes and genes that are crucial for the infectivity of a variety of human and other pathogens. Individual proteins and protein complexes can be dissected by transposon-mediated scanning linker mutagenesis. These and other transposon-based approaches have reaffirmed the usefulness of these elements as simple yet highly effective mutagens for both functional genomic and proteomic studies of microorganisms.
转座子是可从一个基因组位置重新定位到另一个位置的移动遗传元件。除了调节基因表达并促进基因组可塑性和进化外，转座子还是用于细菌、酵母和其他微生物全基因组及单基因研究的极为多样的分子工具。高效但简单的体外转座反应现在使得对以前难以处理的微生物进行突变分析成为可能。基于转座子的签名标签诱变和遗传足迹策略已确定了多种人类及其他病原体感染性所必需的基因和至关重要的基因。单个蛋白质和蛋白质复合物可通过转座子介导的扫描接头诱变进行剖析。这些以及其他基于转座子的方法再次证实了这些元件作为微生物功能基因组学和蛋白质组学研究中简单而高效的诱变剂的实用性。
