Site-directed mutagenesis and gene deletion using reverse genetics

Understanding gene function is far easier when tools are available to engineer a bacterial strain lacking a specific gene and phenotypically compare its behavior with the corresponding parental strain. Such mutants could be selected randomly, either by natural selection under particular stress conditions or by random mutagenesis using transposon delivery as described elsewhere in this book. However, with the advent of the genomic era there are now hundreds of bacterial genomes whose sequence is available, and thus, genes can be identified, chosen, and strategies designed to specifically inactivate them. This can be done by using suicide plasmids and is most convenient when the bacterium of interest is easily amenable to genetic manipulation. The method presented here will describe the use of a suicide vector, pKNG101, which allows the selection of a double-recombination event. The first event results in the integration of the pKNG101 derivative carrying the “mutator” fragment onto the chromosome, and could be selected on plates containing appropriate antibiotics. The pKNG101 carries the sacB gene, which induces death when cells are grown on sucrose. Growth on sucrose plates will thus select the second homologous recombination event, which results in removing the plasmid backbone and leaving behind the mutated target gene. This method has been widely used over the last 20 years to inactivate genes in a wide range of gramnegative bacteria and in particular in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.