Discovery and Characterization of Four Novel Microbacterium foliorum Phages
Major
Biology
Submission Type
Poster
Area of Study or Work
Biology
Expected Graduation Date
2026
Location
CNS Atrium, Easel 3
Start Date
4-15-2023 9:00 AM
End Date
4-15-2023 10:15 AM
Abstract
Bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) are the most abundant organisms in the biosphere (with an estimated 1031 particles) and they are an ubiquitous feature of prokaryotic existence. Despite their abundance, it is believed that scientists have been able to just scratch the surface of their diversity. One of the key goals of the SEA-PHAGES program is to build on our understanding of the genetic diversity of bacteriophages through new discoveries led by undergraduate students. Over the past year, we have successfully isolated, extracted, and analyzed several novel bacteriophages from environmental samples collected from Illinois and Massachusetts – all of which infect Microbacterium foliorum. In particular, this project seeks to understand four phages - Erenyeager (Cluster: ED), RikSengupta (Cluster: EF), Clownery (Cluster: EE), and RSGExtra (Cluster: EE) by focusing on morphological and genomic studies. We have been able to compare these four phages with each other and with previously sequenced phages using molecular biology techniques and bioinformatics tools. In the process, we have also been able to recognize patterns between phages in different clusters and subclusters and can suggest the formation of a new subcluster with the discovery of RikSengupta. Lysogen testing of the phages were largely inconclusive but it did lead to the discovery of RSGExtra, a contaminant phage in a different cluster than RikSengupta, but which was still approximately 15% of the reads from the DNA sequencing, and showed a high level of similarity to Clownery.
These findings are important due to the nature of bacteriophages and their extraordinary ability to hijack a bacteria’s metabolic mechanism. By drawing these comparisons through our research, we hope to be able to identify functions of the phages in our environment and understand how variation in DNA sequences leads to variations in the phage population and diversity.
Discovery and Characterization of Four Novel Microbacterium foliorum Phages
CNS Atrium, Easel 3
Bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) are the most abundant organisms in the biosphere (with an estimated 1031 particles) and they are an ubiquitous feature of prokaryotic existence. Despite their abundance, it is believed that scientists have been able to just scratch the surface of their diversity. One of the key goals of the SEA-PHAGES program is to build on our understanding of the genetic diversity of bacteriophages through new discoveries led by undergraduate students. Over the past year, we have successfully isolated, extracted, and analyzed several novel bacteriophages from environmental samples collected from Illinois and Massachusetts – all of which infect Microbacterium foliorum. In particular, this project seeks to understand four phages - Erenyeager (Cluster: ED), RikSengupta (Cluster: EF), Clownery (Cluster: EE), and RSGExtra (Cluster: EE) by focusing on morphological and genomic studies. We have been able to compare these four phages with each other and with previously sequenced phages using molecular biology techniques and bioinformatics tools. In the process, we have also been able to recognize patterns between phages in different clusters and subclusters and can suggest the formation of a new subcluster with the discovery of RikSengupta. Lysogen testing of the phages were largely inconclusive but it did lead to the discovery of RSGExtra, a contaminant phage in a different cluster than RikSengupta, but which was still approximately 15% of the reads from the DNA sequencing, and showed a high level of similarity to Clownery.
These findings are important due to the nature of bacteriophages and their extraordinary ability to hijack a bacteria’s metabolic mechanism. By drawing these comparisons through our research, we hope to be able to identify functions of the phages in our environment and understand how variation in DNA sequences leads to variations in the phage population and diversity.