THE infamous bacterium Escherichia coli has had its entire genome
mapped, according to a report published in last week’s Science (vol
277, p 1453).
A team led by Frederick Blattner of the University of Wisconsin in Madison
sequenced the bacterium’s genome, which contains 4403 genes. Although the human
genome is 25 times as large, E. coli’s genome is regarded as a useful
model for most of life’s biochemistry. “To find the function of human genes, you
can get a clue by comparing them to model organisms like E. coli,” says
Blattner.
