Figure 1.

Schematic of chemical-genetic screen. A library of cells each with a specific genetic perturbation, such as deletion, knockdown, or overexpression of a gene, is exposed to a compound of interest, either in pooled or arrayed format. Quantification of the abundance of library members before and after treatment reveals the effect of each genetic perturbation on sensitivity. In this example, deletion of gene B confers hypersensitivity; thus, gene B likely operates in the pathway targeted by the compound. By contrast, deletion of gene Z confers resistance; thus, gene Z might be required for uptake of the compound.