Bacteriophage Zahn: Making Waves as a Singleton
Submission Type
Poster
Area of Study or Work
Biology
Faculty Advisor
Richard Alvey and David Bollivar
Expected Graduation Date
2022
Location
Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Start Date
4-13-2019 9:00 AM
End Date
4-13-2019 10:00 AM
Disciplines
Education
Abstract
Bacteriophage research provides an opportunity to examine the evolution of a diverse group of biological entities. Using bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections is also a key component in biomedical research, as phages can be considered potential antibacterial agents due to their ability to infect and destroy bacteria. A bacteriophage from a water sample was isolated using bacterial host Rhodobacter capsulatus. Zahn was isolated in the summer of 2018 from West Lake in Davenport, Iowa. Using the bacterial host, the bacteriophage Zahn was isolated through the enrichment process. A lysate sample made after the purification of Zahn was used to create a TEM image, showing Zahn to have morphological uniqueness. After this discovery, a DNA preparation procedure to purify the phage DNA from the bacterial DNA was completed and it was sent to the Pittsburgh Bacteriophage Institute for sequencing. Zahn was determined to be a singleton, having no known close relatives, after acquiring the sequence. The genome of Zahn was then annotated using PECAAN. PECAAN was used to identify potential start sites and putative functions for Zahn’s genes. Once completed the annotated genome of Zahn will be submitted to GenBank to contribute to our knowledge of the evolution of bacteriophages.
Bacteriophage Zahn: Making Waves as a Singleton
Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Bacteriophage research provides an opportunity to examine the evolution of a diverse group of biological entities. Using bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections is also a key component in biomedical research, as phages can be considered potential antibacterial agents due to their ability to infect and destroy bacteria. A bacteriophage from a water sample was isolated using bacterial host Rhodobacter capsulatus. Zahn was isolated in the summer of 2018 from West Lake in Davenport, Iowa. Using the bacterial host, the bacteriophage Zahn was isolated through the enrichment process. A lysate sample made after the purification of Zahn was used to create a TEM image, showing Zahn to have morphological uniqueness. After this discovery, a DNA preparation procedure to purify the phage DNA from the bacterial DNA was completed and it was sent to the Pittsburgh Bacteriophage Institute for sequencing. Zahn was determined to be a singleton, having no known close relatives, after acquiring the sequence. The genome of Zahn was then annotated using PECAAN. PECAAN was used to identify potential start sites and putative functions for Zahn’s genes. Once completed the annotated genome of Zahn will be submitted to GenBank to contribute to our knowledge of the evolution of bacteriophages.