Laboratory workhorse decoded
Pennisi, E.
Science 277(5331): 1432-1434
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-8075 PMID: 9304210 Document Number: 476477
The sequencing of the genome of Escherichia coli has finally been completed, allowing researchers to study the organism's molecular workings. Partial E. coli sequences that Frederick Blattner of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and, independently, a Japanese team have been depositing in the public database have already given researchers a taste of how valuable data about the organism's structure and function can be. Matches between new genes from other species and E. coli sequences previously filed have frequently provided researchers with a name and function for their discoveries. Now that the genome is completed, there are additional genes to work with. With this genomic overview, scientists can start to form a coherent picture encompassing all of E. coli's biology. What is more, comparing this genome to other microbial genomes that are rapidly being completed should help uncover how these organisms have evolved.