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Microbial Genomics logo Microbial Genomics

Volume 11, Issue 11

Revisiting classical cell division mutants by whole-genome sequencing Open Access

Abstract

Over 60 years ago, researchers started the genetic analysis of bacterial cell division by isolating conditional, temperature-sensitive mutants of essential cell division genes. These early mutants were obtained by mutagenesis with chemical agents that introduced dozens to hundreds of mutations in the bacterial genomes. In this work, we present the complete genome sequences of six of these original mutants on , and genes, along with two of the strains used to generate them. The genomes of mutants obtained by exposure to nitrosoguanidine had 100 to 400 mutations. Transducing target alleles into a new strain effectively reduced the number of mutations, but those near the target gene were co-transduced with it. In contrast, a mutant generated by site-directed mutagenesis maintained the genomic background intact. The genomic analysis improves our understanding of these foundational strains, offering insights into the effects of historical mutagenesis techniques. These findings underscore the importance of genomic characterization in ensuring accurate interpretations of experimental results in microbiological research.

  • Received:
  • Accepted:
  • Published Online:
Keyword(s): cell division , Escherichia coli , genomic analysis and mutagenesis
Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Award CP23/00036)
    • Principal Award Recipient: EliasDahdouh
  • IdiPAZ (Award Dr. Luis Álvarez 2024)
    • Principal Award Recipient: JesúsMingorance
  • Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Award PI19/01356)
    • Principal Award Recipient: JesúsMingorance
© 2025 The Authors
  • This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
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2025-11-04
2025-11-07

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/content/journal/mgen/10.1099/mgen.0.001558
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Revisiting classical Escherichia coli cell division mutants by whole-genome sequencing
M Gen 11, 001558 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1099/mgen.0.001558
/content/journal/mgen/10.1099/mgen.0.001558
/content/journal/mgen/10.1099/mgen.0.001558
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