Smallest self replicating organism

[Mary K.Kuhner]

Rich Cooper  <richcooper1 at mindspring.com> wrote:
>In Scientific American this month, an article states that there is some
>organism with less than 3,000 genes that can self replicate.

>Does anyone know what this organism is?

Mycoplasma, and this is an understatement; one species seems to 
have 517 genes.

Try http://www.unc.edu/news/newsserv/research/hutch12999.htm
for a description of the experiment that showed that not all of the
517 genes are essential.

Mary Kuhner mkkuhner at genetics.washington.edu

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