Abstract
Condition-dependent genetic interactions can reveal functional relationships between genes that are not evident under standard culture conditions. State-of-the-art yeast genetic interaction mapping, which relies on robotic manipulation of arrays of double mutant strains, does not scale readily to multi-condition studies. Here we describe Barcode Fusion Genetics to map Genetic Interactions (BFG-GI), by which double mutant strains generated via en masse orgy mating can also be monitored en masse for growth and genetic interactions. By using site-specific recombination to fuse two DNA barcodes, each representing a specific gene deletion, BFG-GI enables multiplexed quantitative tracking of double mutants via next-generation sequencing. We applied BFG-GI to a matrix of DNA repair genes under ten different conditions, including methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), 4-Nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO), bleomycin, zeocin and four other DNA-damaging environments. BFG-GI recapitulated known genetic interactions and yielded new condition-dependent genetic interactions. We validated and further explored a subnetwork of condition-dependent genetic interactions involving MAG1, SLX4, and genes encoding the Shu complex, and found a new role for the Shu complex as a regulator of the checkpoint protein kinase Rad53.