Transposon mutagenesis in Mycobacterium kansasii links a small RNA gene to colony morphology and biofilm formation and identifies 9,885 intragenic insertions that do not compromise colony outgrowth

In this study, we validated the functionality of a powerful Tn mutagenesis tool inMk and used this tool in conjunction with a forward genetic screen to establish a previously unrecognized role of a conserved mycobacterial small RNA gene of unknown function in colony morphology features and biofilm formation. We also combined Tn mutagenesis with next ‐generation sequencing to identify 12,071 Tn insertions that do not compromise viability in vitro. Finally, we demonstrated the susceptibility of theGalleria mellonella larva toMk, setting the stage for further exploration of this simple and economical infection model system to the study of this pathogen.

Source: MicrobiologyOpen - February 24, 2020 Category: Microbiology Authors: William C. Budell, Gabrielle A. Germain, Niklas Janisch, Zaid McKie ‐Krisberg, Anitha D. Jayaprakash, Andrew E. Resnick, Luis E. N. Quadri Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research