Beyond the Sequence: the Finding and Analyzing of Bacteriophages
Major
Biology
Submission Type
Poster
Area of Study or Work
Biology
Faculty Advisor
Richard Alvey
Location
CNS Atrium
Start Date
4-11-2026 8:30 AM
End Date
4-11-2026 9:45 AM
Abstract
Bacteriophages are diverse viruses that infect bacteria. As part of the Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEAPHAGES) program, Illinois Wesleyan students isolate and characterize viruses from environmental samples, examine them through electron microscopy, and prepare DNA for sequencing to ultimately analyze the sequenced DNA to compare them to other known phage genomes to identify similarities and differences. During the first semester, students began finding new phages by collecting soil and water samples from various places, and then conducting an enrichment and plating procedure to discover phages capable of infecting the host Microbacterium foliorum as well as Rhodobacter capsulatus. Nineteen phages were found, and five were chosen for their genomes to be sequenced. The phages chosen were the soil phage CoraRita and the water phages Vale, Rosebud, Garmon, and Sealion. In the second semester, students were able to analyze the genomes of the phages through bioinformatic software like Phage Evidence Collection And Annotation Network (PECAAN), which helps with figuring out genes and functions. Through PECAAN, it also compared the cluster of the phages found by the class with phages from around the world in the same cluster. By studying bacteriophages, they can provide more information on the diversity and evolution of phages. There are ten nonillion (10^31) bacteriophages on Earth, and finding and analyzing them can have enormous scientific impacts, such as contributing to medicine, especially by providing alternatives to antibiotics as bacteria become increasingly resistant to them.
Beyond the Sequence: the Finding and Analyzing of Bacteriophages
CNS Atrium
Bacteriophages are diverse viruses that infect bacteria. As part of the Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEAPHAGES) program, Illinois Wesleyan students isolate and characterize viruses from environmental samples, examine them through electron microscopy, and prepare DNA for sequencing to ultimately analyze the sequenced DNA to compare them to other known phage genomes to identify similarities and differences. During the first semester, students began finding new phages by collecting soil and water samples from various places, and then conducting an enrichment and plating procedure to discover phages capable of infecting the host Microbacterium foliorum as well as Rhodobacter capsulatus. Nineteen phages were found, and five were chosen for their genomes to be sequenced. The phages chosen were the soil phage CoraRita and the water phages Vale, Rosebud, Garmon, and Sealion. In the second semester, students were able to analyze the genomes of the phages through bioinformatic software like Phage Evidence Collection And Annotation Network (PECAAN), which helps with figuring out genes and functions. Through PECAAN, it also compared the cluster of the phages found by the class with phages from around the world in the same cluster. By studying bacteriophages, they can provide more information on the diversity and evolution of phages. There are ten nonillion (10^31) bacteriophages on Earth, and finding and analyzing them can have enormous scientific impacts, such as contributing to medicine, especially by providing alternatives to antibiotics as bacteria become increasingly resistant to them.