<p>This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.</p> <p>In 1995 the genome sequence of the <italic>Haemophilus influenzae</italic> KW20 (Rd) strain was published, the first available for a free-living organism. The genome has been
invaluable in global strategies to identify certain virulence-related genes, e.g. those
involved in LPS synthesis, and also essential genes, but there is a paucity of wholegenome
transcriptome studies. We have now constructed a whole-genome array
consisting of genes from Rd, additional genes identified in other strains of <italic>H.
influenzae</italic> and controls (from eukaryotic sources and other bacteria). We intend to
use this array in studies aimed at understanding the bacterium’s basic metabolism
and its response to changing environments; deciphering global regulatory networks
(by comparison of wild-type and mutant strains); and identifying genes expressed
<italic>in vivo</italic>. The use of <italic>H. influenzae</italic> DNA arrays combined with proteomic approaches
will enhance our understanding of the metabolism and virulence of the organism.
Additionally, the genome sequence of a non-typable <italic>H. influenzae</italic> strain is in progress.
The sequence from this isolate will be invaluable not only in identifying potential
novel antibiotic targets and putative vaccine candidates but also in the design of a
microarray for genome-typing purposes.</p>
[]
Comp Funct Genomics. 2002 Aug; 3(4):358-361