Genome Engineering inUsing Exogenous Recombination Systems.

Abstract

() is a common pathogen of poultry worldwide that has recently spread to North American house finches after a single host shift in 1994. The molecular determinants ofvirulence and host specificity are still largely unknown, mostly due to the absence of efficient methods for functional genomics. After evaluating two exogenous recombination systems derived from phages found in the phylogenetically relatedand the more distant, the RecET-like system fromwas successfully used for gene inactivation and targeted replacement in. In a second step, the Cre-lox recombination system was used for the removal of the antibiotic resistance marker in recombinant mutants. This study therefore describes the first genetic tool for targeted genome engineering ofand demonstrates the efficiency of heterologous recombination systems in minimal bacteria.