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Exploring the effects of environmental changes on bacteriophage infection potential
Author(s) -
Gocal Jakub
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.2020.34.s1.00573
Subject(s) - bacteriophage , biology , bacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , phage therapy , antibiotic resistance , gene , population , antibiotics , virology , escherichia coli , genetics , demography , sociology
Bacteriophages are viruses which are capable of infecting and killing bacteria. They have become a topic of interest over the last decade due to their possible role in phage therapy, the treatment of antibiotic resistant bacteria using bacteriophages. Mycobacterium Phage MichaelPhcott is a B1 cluster bacteriophage, which was isolated from a soil sample collected in Woodland Park, Philadelphia. Bacteriophages were extracted from the soil sample. After multiple rounds of purification, a pure population of phage MichaelPhcott was isolated. Phage MichaelPhcott was one of twelve phages annotated by the 2017–18 Drexel SEA‐PHAGES students. Bioinformatic programs: DNA Master, Glimmer, Starterator, and GeneMark were used to identify gene start sites within the genomic sequence of phage MichaelPhcott. PECAAN software (including databases NCBI Blast, Phamerator, and HHPred) was used to identify and assign gene functions to each gene. MichaelPhcott was found to be 68,494 base pairs long, with a G/C content of 66.4%, and exactly 100 protein‐coding genes. Phage MichaelPhcott may have a potential application within antibiotic resistance. It was found that exposure to whey protein generated a protective effect and the phage is able to survive and infect bacteria when grown over a range of different pH levels and temperatures. Antibiotics usage has resulted in antibiotic‐resistant bacteria that negatively impact the agricultural industry. Whey protein concentrate (WPC) is a filtrate from cow’s milk that reportedly has protective effects on lactic bacteriophages when exposed to changes in heat and pH levels. The goal of this experiment was to see the protective effects of WPC on bacteriophage MichaelPhcott when exposed to varying levels of pH and heating time. Support or Funding Information &[bull]Bacteriophages are viruses which infect bacterial host cells and use the bacterial cellular machinery to replicate the viral genome and generate viral protein. The bacteriophage viruses assemble and then exit the bacterial cell, killing it. &[bull]Mycobacterium phages infect and replicate within Mycobacterium smegmatis, a bacteria which is commonly found in soil. &[bull]In this project Mycobacterium phage MichaelPhcott was isolated from soil collected in Woodland Park, Philadelphia. &[bull]Genomic sequencing and characterization of the phage MichaelPhcott genome will allow us to understand more about the genes present within the genome, this may provide information about the lifecycle of this phage and other genetically similar phages.