Decoding gene essentiality in Streptococcus suis using Tn-seq and genome-scale metabolic modeling.

Abstract

High-throughput transposon mutagenesis methods, such as transposon sequencing, are powerful tools for genome-wide identification of essential and conditionally essential genes in bacterial pathogens. In a recent study, Y. Zhang, R.Gong, M.Liang, L.Zhang, et al. (Microbiol Spectr 13:e0279124, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.02791-24) applied Himar1-based Tn-seq to Streptococcus suis, generating a relatively dense mutant library, in combination with genome-scale metabolic modeling, to identify 244 candidate essential genes. Aside from the well-characterized antibiotic targets, there are several novel candidates currently being explored for drug development against other critical pathogens, and a number of previously uncharacterized potential targets were uncovered in classical model organisms. The study highlights the value of high-throughput transposon mutagenesis and genome-scale metabolic modeling in a less-characterized zoonotic pathogen and contributes important genetic insights that may inform future antimicrobial strategies.