In search of the minimal Escherichia coli genome.

Recent plans announced for the systematic cataloging of the minimal Escherichia coli gene set, the phenotypes of all mutations, the expression levels of every transcript and gene product, and the interactions of all genetic loci or their gene products point the way towards a new frontier in the biology of model organisms. Powerful tools for this endeavor are emerging, and efforts to organize the E. coli community are under way. The anticipated benefit is a functional model of the bacterial cell.