A low quantity of DNA can lead to difficulties in interpreting the gel because the bands will have such a low intensity. It can also be problematic when you need certain enzymes to bind to your DNA but there is just not enough of it. It is not necessarily an issue with the phage itself, but more so problematic for researchers.
The initial soil sample I found was in Boulder, near a small creek, but it was below freezing so I do not think there were many things living in my sample. The soil sample for the phage used throughout the experiment was collected from a house plant my lab partner owns.
I do not know the specific qualities that differentiate the A and N clusters, however the difference in clusters is dependent on the traits of the phage, such as the genome, morphology, type of bacteria it infects, etc. The A cluster contains the most phage according the Phage Database, while the N cluster has significantly less. We determined the cluster using an online enzyme tool in which we compared the cuts from restriction digest from our experiment with phage already in the database, and found it to have similar cuts to those in A cluster, but there were also quite a few N cluster phage that were similar.
How come a low quantity of DNA is a problem when dealing with phages?
A low quantity of DNA can lead to difficulties in interpreting the gel because the bands will have such a low intensity. It can also be problematic when you need certain enzymes to bind to your DNA but there is just not enough of it. It is not necessarily an issue with the phage itself, but more so problematic for researchers.
Where did you find your initial soil sample?
The initial soil sample I found was in Boulder, near a small creek, but it was below freezing so I do not think there were many things living in my sample. The soil sample for the phage used throughout the experiment was collected from a house plant my lab partner owns.
What is the difference between the A and N cluster?
I do not know the specific qualities that differentiate the A and N clusters, however the difference in clusters is dependent on the traits of the phage, such as the genome, morphology, type of bacteria it infects, etc. The A cluster contains the most phage according the Phage Database, while the N cluster has significantly less. We determined the cluster using an online enzyme tool in which we compared the cuts from restriction digest from our experiment with phage already in the database, and found it to have similar cuts to those in A cluster, but there were also quite a few N cluster phage that were similar.