Unravelling Virus-Host Interactions with Rhodobacter capsulatus
Major
Biology
Second Major
Computer Science
Submission Type
Poster
Area of Study or Work
Biology
Faculty Advisor
Richard Alvey
Location
CNS Atrium
Start Date
4-12-2025 11:15 AM
End Date
4-12-2025 12:15 PM
Abstract
Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria, relying entirely on their bacterial hosts for replication. The ongoing evolutionary arms race between bacteriophages and their hosts has driven rapid genetic divergence in both lineages, leading to the emergence of bacterial defense mechanisms such as CRISPR-Cas systems and the occupation of diverse ecological niches. These dynamics have played a crucial role in shaping microbial communities as we know them today. Beyond their ecological significance, phages have become central to developing alternatives for combating multidrug-resistant bacteria, as well as applications in food safety, wastewater treatment, and biotechnology. However, one of the fundamental limitations in harnessing phages for these purposes is our limited understanding of phage-host interactions, particularly the molecular mechanisms that determine host specificity and infection efficiency. At Illinois Wesleyan University, researchers have assembled a collection of over 60 bacteriophage isolates capable of infecting Rhodobacter capsulatus, a harmless freshwater bacterium. More recently, efforts have expanded to isolating phages that target marine bacteria related to R. capsulatus. Among these isolates, two stand out for their unique characteristics – Xuper, the largest known phage infecting R. capsulatus, for its remarkable ability to jump between different hosts, and SchuylerLagoon, one of the smallest phages known to infect R. capsulatus, with a minimal genome containing only four genes –. Over the past year, our research has focused on identifying the bacterial receptors through which phages like Xuper and SchuylerLagoon interact with and infect their hosts. Using targeted knockout studies, we have begun to identify potential receptor pathways in R. capsulatus involved in phage recognition and attachment. These findings would not only deepen our understanding of phage-host interactions but could also inform the development of other synthetic biology applications, and have the potential to contribute to the broader effort of engineering phages for precise and effective bacterial targeting in both environmental and clinical settings.
Unravelling Virus-Host Interactions with Rhodobacter capsulatus
CNS Atrium
Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria, relying entirely on their bacterial hosts for replication. The ongoing evolutionary arms race between bacteriophages and their hosts has driven rapid genetic divergence in both lineages, leading to the emergence of bacterial defense mechanisms such as CRISPR-Cas systems and the occupation of diverse ecological niches. These dynamics have played a crucial role in shaping microbial communities as we know them today. Beyond their ecological significance, phages have become central to developing alternatives for combating multidrug-resistant bacteria, as well as applications in food safety, wastewater treatment, and biotechnology. However, one of the fundamental limitations in harnessing phages for these purposes is our limited understanding of phage-host interactions, particularly the molecular mechanisms that determine host specificity and infection efficiency. At Illinois Wesleyan University, researchers have assembled a collection of over 60 bacteriophage isolates capable of infecting Rhodobacter capsulatus, a harmless freshwater bacterium. More recently, efforts have expanded to isolating phages that target marine bacteria related to R. capsulatus. Among these isolates, two stand out for their unique characteristics – Xuper, the largest known phage infecting R. capsulatus, for its remarkable ability to jump between different hosts, and SchuylerLagoon, one of the smallest phages known to infect R. capsulatus, with a minimal genome containing only four genes –. Over the past year, our research has focused on identifying the bacterial receptors through which phages like Xuper and SchuylerLagoon interact with and infect their hosts. Using targeted knockout studies, we have begun to identify potential receptor pathways in R. capsulatus involved in phage recognition and attachment. These findings would not only deepen our understanding of phage-host interactions but could also inform the development of other synthetic biology applications, and have the potential to contribute to the broader effort of engineering phages for precise and effective bacterial targeting in both environmental and clinical settings.