Isolation of Three New Bacteriophages for Rhodobacter capsulatus
Submission Type
Event
Expected Graduation Date
2014
Location
Atrium, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Start Date
4-20-2013 2:00 PM
End Date
4-20-2013 3:00 PM
Disciplines
Biology
Abstract
Three new bacteriophages that infect the facultative anaerobic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus were isolated from water samples collected downstream of the Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District. Only two phages of R. capsulatus have been characterized at the molecular level. All three phages produced uniformly cloudy plaques of different diameters; Rc-Rhea, the first to be isolated and purified, had plaques 1.0 mm in diameter, whereas Rc-Cronus was the largest at 2.0 mm, compared to Rc-Oceanus at 0.2 mm. Samples were also collected from seven other locations, including just upstream of the same water reclamation facility. Plaques were not observed with samples from any other locale. Further study to describe these phages at the molecular level will be done using the purified high-titer lysate obtained during the isolation process.
Isolation of Three New Bacteriophages for Rhodobacter capsulatus
Atrium, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Three new bacteriophages that infect the facultative anaerobic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus were isolated from water samples collected downstream of the Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District. Only two phages of R. capsulatus have been characterized at the molecular level. All three phages produced uniformly cloudy plaques of different diameters; Rc-Rhea, the first to be isolated and purified, had plaques 1.0 mm in diameter, whereas Rc-Cronus was the largest at 2.0 mm, compared to Rc-Oceanus at 0.2 mm. Samples were also collected from seven other locations, including just upstream of the same water reclamation facility. Plaques were not observed with samples from any other locale. Further study to describe these phages at the molecular level will be done using the purified high-titer lysate obtained during the isolation process.