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2017 Archive
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Author(s): Alyssa Case , Nicole Jordan
Presentation: poster
Bacteriophages are the unsung heroes of today’s biological world. With the ability to destroy bacteria, bacteriophages have a promising future in leading to cures for many pathogenic diseases. The HHMI SEA-PHAGES program allowed us to get a hands-on experience with these groundbreaking phages. We began by isolating six phages from the bacterium Gordonia terrae and two phages from Mycobacterium smegmatis. We found, through electron microscopy, that the phages had a Siphoviridae morphology. Once we had isolated enough DNA to be analyzed, we submitted DNA from two Gordonia phages (WilliamBoone & Asapag) to the Pittsburgh Bacteriophage Institute where genome sequencing was completed. WilliamBoone was found to have a genome length of 92688 bp, and Asapag a genome length of 55119 bp. Since the sequencing, we have found, through bioinformatics techniques, that WilliamBoone has seven tRNA genes, along with a programmed frameshift in the tail assembly chaperone protein gene. We have also discovered that Asapag is a co-founder of a new phage cluster, highlighting many previously undiscovered genes. With this information, and a continued analysis of both genomes, we hope to aid in the understanding and progression of the study of bacteriophages.
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