Novel antibacterial targets/identification of new targets by comparative genomics

Abstract

It is remarkable to reflect on the fact that the first complete genome sequence of a bacterium, Haemophilus influenzae, emerged only some 15 years ago. The pace of DNA sequencing, driven partly by new sequencing technologies, has resulted in an ever-increasing number of microbial sequences available for examination and study. This has had a profound impact on many areas of microbial study, including microbial physiology, genetics, and the emerging field of large-scale studies on gene regulation and systems biology. There have been several efforts to define the genes that are essential for microbial survival (at least in the laboratory), and to compare this irreplaceable parts list among microbial genera.