Approximately 800 transformant clones

were then arrayed in 96-well microplates. Analysis of cloning efficiency by PCR indicated that about 30% of transformant E. coli colonies PSI-7977 clinical trial carried a PAO1 genomic insert. To generate shotgun antisense libraries (SALs) with a lower background of clones carrying an empty vector, we selected the broad host-range vector pHERD-20 T, which facilitates the identification of clones carrying an insert based on blue/white screening. We obtained a 7:3 ratio between dark blue (absence of an insert) and white-light blue (potential presence of an insert) colonies, with 95% of white-light blue colonies carrying an insert with the expected average size (Additional file 1: Figure S1B). Thus, the probability of selecting a find more clone with an insert (Additional file 1: Figure S1C) increased from about 30% to 95% using pHERD-20 T. learn more A pHERD-20 T-based SAL library was constructed by arraying approximately 10,000 white-light blue transformant clones in 96-well microplates. Screenings of SALs for growth-impairing inserts The

genomic inserts of both pVI533EH- and pHERD-20 T-based SALs were screened for their ability to impair PAO1 growth, supposedly by antisense transcription effects, by mating transfer of SALs from E. coli to PAO1 (Figure 1C), and then replica plating of exconjugants on Pseudomonas Isolation Agar (PIA) supplemented with carbenicillin (Cb), both in the absence and presence of the P BAD inducer arabinose (Figure 1D). Recipient PAO1 exconjugant spots were inspected for growth defects following 24 h of incubation at 37°C. Insert-induced impairment ranged from growth defect to arrest, which could be displayed in some cases even in the absence of arabinose (Additional file 1: Figure S1C). This suggested that basal insert expression in PAO1, a regulatory context for P

BAD that is not as restrictive as E. coli, was sufficient to produce deleterious effects on growth. These screenings resulted in the identification of five and 71 growth-impairing inserts in the pVI533EH- and pHERD-20 T-based SALs, respectively. These 76 inserts, recovered in the corresponding E. coli donor clones (Figure 1E), were subjected to sequence analysis, and their features are listed in Additional file 2: Table SSR128129E S2. Analysis of the growth-impairing inserts Bioinformatic analysis of the DNA sequences obtained indicated that 33 of the 76 positive clones (44%) contained single intragenic fragments. Of these, 20 (26% of the positive clones) were in antisense orientation. As listed in Table 1, some of these fragments derived from conserved genes involved in DNA replication, transcription, and translation, such as dnaG, rpoC, rpoB, infB, and rbfA, which can be considered “classical” essential genes. Fragments derived from rpoC, rpoB, infB, and rbfA were antisense oriented. Two different fragments were derived from dnaG, one antisense and the other sense oriented.