We're doing in vivo tests of predictions made by the metabolic model. The majority of essential gene experiments in the literature involve single gene knock outs. However, our model has a unique ability to predict what combinations of gene deletions will be lethal. Indeed, to determine the minimal genome, one simply asks how many genes can I delete at the same time without resulting in lethality.

To test the validity of the model, we used the model to predict pairs of genes that are lethal when both knocked out, but that allow E.coli survival when knocked out one at a time. These genes would be essential in our list but not in most of the literature essential gene lists.

Construction of these double knockout E.coli strains is currently underway.