Table 1.

Minimal gene sets obtained by direct and random experimental mutagenesis

Microorganism	Minimal gene seta	Method	Refs
Cell factories/model organisms
Acinetobacter baylyi	205/499	DGIb	[51]
Bacillus subtilis	217	DGI	[52]
Corynebacterium glutamicum	658	RTMc	[53]
Caulobacter crescentus	480	RTM	[54]
Escherichia coli	620	RTM	[11]
303	DGI	[12]
302	DGI	[55]
Saccharomyces cerevisiae	1105	DGI	[56]
Human pathogen
Bacillus anthracis	253	RTM	[57]
Francisella tularensis sp. novicida	396	RTM	[58]
Haemophilus influenzae	670	RTM	[59]
136/358	RTM	[60]
Helicobacter pylori	255–344	RTM	[61]
Mycobacterium tuberculosis	∼614	RTM	[62]
Mycoplasma genitalium	265–350	RTM	[41]
382d	RTM	[42]
Mycoplasma pulmonis	321	RTM	[63]
Pseudomonas aeruginosa	335	RTM	[64]
Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium	257–490	RTM	[65]
Streptococcus pneumoniae	82	RTM	[66]
Staphylococcus aureus	71	RTM	[67]
351	RTM	[68]
150/600	Random antisense RNA	[69]
Vibrio cholerae	789	RTM	[70]

^aProtein-coding genes.

^bDGI, direct gene inactivation.

^cRTM, Random transposon mutagenesis.

^dThe study additionally suggested 43 RNA genes, in other words the first minimal gene set of 405 genes including RNA genes.