Transposon Insertion Site Sequencing for Synthetic Lethal Screening

: Transposon insertion site sequencing (TIS) permits genome-wide, quantitative fitness assessment of individual genomic loci. In addition to the identification of essential genes in given growth conditions, TIS enables the elucidation of genetic networks such as synthetic lethal or suppressor gene combinations. Therefore, TIS becomes an exceptionally powerful tool for the high-throughput determination of genotype-phenotype relationships in bacteria. Here, we describe a protocol for the generation of high-density transposon insertion libraries and subsequent preparation of DNA samples for Illumina sequencing using the Gram-negative bacterium Vibrio cholerae as an example.