Genetic Interaction Screens in Schizosaccharomyces pombe Using the Pombe Epistasis Mapper (PEM) System and a Manual Colony Replicator.

In laboratories in which a colony-replicating robot is not available, manual replication provides a good, low-cost alternative for genetic interaction screening using the Pombe Epistasis Mapper (PEM) system. The protocol presented here describes the minimum number of steps required to identify genetic interactions. First, a query deletion is introduced to a library of deletion mutants by mating. Through a series of subsequent selection steps, single and double mutants are isolated and analyzed.