Hey! In the categorization of phages, what is the significance of a cluster–and more specifically, what are some characteristics of the A1 sub-cluster?
Phages are placed into clusters based upon their genome sequence. The A1 cluster is primarily a temperate phage cluster, which is one of the reasons we felt good about our hypothesis prediction.
For our enrichment process, ~3mL of soil was collected and added to 4mL of LB media and 1mL of M. smegmatis. The M smeg feeds upon the LB Media to multiply, and if there are any phage in the soil sample capable of infecting the M smeg, then there will be plenty of bacterium for the phage to use to do so. Then, after incubation, the sample is tested for phage presence.
To isolate lytic phage in general, then the same experiments could be repeated, and during the initial spot testing and serial dilutions, only carry on if plaques have a distinct border representing a lytic phage. In regard to application of a common bacterial ailment, then deciding on a bacterium to research would be the first step, and then isolating and testing various phage on the bacterium to see the effectiveness of the phage at killing off the bacterium.
Hey! In the categorization of phages, what is the significance of a cluster–and more specifically, what are some characteristics of the A1 sub-cluster?
Phages are placed into clusters based upon their genome sequence. The A1 cluster is primarily a temperate phage cluster, which is one of the reasons we felt good about our hypothesis prediction.
What was the process of your enrichment process and how exactly did it fail?
For our enrichment process, ~3mL of soil was collected and added to 4mL of LB media and 1mL of M. smegmatis. The M smeg feeds upon the LB Media to multiply, and if there are any phage in the soil sample capable of infecting the M smeg, then there will be plenty of bacterium for the phage to use to do so. Then, after incubation, the sample is tested for phage presence.
What are some experiments you could do to carry out some of your future directions.
To isolate lytic phage in general, then the same experiments could be repeated, and during the initial spot testing and serial dilutions, only carry on if plaques have a distinct border representing a lytic phage. In regard to application of a common bacterial ailment, then deciding on a bacterium to research would be the first step, and then isolating and testing various phage on the bacterium to see the effectiveness of the phage at killing off the bacterium.