Is there any significance to the phages being siphoviridae? Does this classification have any bearing on whether or not the phages may be good candidates for phage therapy?
There is no particular significance to the phages being siphoviridae. Siphoviridae are the majority of mycobacteriphages, but it does not impact their virulence.
I did not get that far. Unfortunately, I only got through confirming my lytic phage was not a Cluster F phage. All we know is that it is effective on M. smegmatis, which makes it likely (but not conclusively) effective on bacteria from the same family, which include TB and leprosy.
What does phage enzymes tools do with the number of cuts you give it? How can it take the number of cuts you give it and then tell you what cluster it belongs to?
It is a very cool tool. The Phage Enzyme tools is a database that has confirmed number of cuts for phages, which are assigned to clusters. So Phage Enzyme Tools takes the number of cuts I give it for each of the restriction enzymes and matches it to its “best guess.” This is why I refer to the phage as presumptively Cluster F.
The shape of the phage makes it uniquely suited to attach and insert its DNA into the bacteria. The tail is an injection mechanism and the head is only suited to do one thing: encase and protect the DNA until it gets injected into the bacteria. The phage is exquisitely built to do its job.
Great presentation! If you could go back and refine your methods approach, how would you do so knowing what you now know? You touched on future directions, why do you predict this? What evidence supports?
If I could back, I would create more HTL earlier on and I would run more plates, sooner. I would also try different concentrations. I ran out of HTL for Delfina, which was frustrating. I would also try several DNA isolation rounds each time. Future directions have changed a bit since the presentation because I did confirm that my phage PiaC is NOT Cluster F. The next most likely one according to Phage Enzyme Tools was Cluster A, so I’d try with that. I really would have loved to sequence the phages.
curesymposium.org 
Is there any significance to the phages being siphoviridae? Does this classification have any bearing on whether or not the phages may be good candidates for phage therapy?
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There is no particular significance to the phages being siphoviridae. Siphoviridae are the majority of mycobacteriphages, but it does not impact their virulence.
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Did you match a bacteria with your phage or have an idea of which kind of bacteria it will/might?
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I did not get that far. Unfortunately, I only got through confirming my lytic phage was not a Cluster F phage. All we know is that it is effective on M. smegmatis, which makes it likely (but not conclusively) effective on bacteria from the same family, which include TB and leprosy.
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What does phage enzymes tools do with the number of cuts you give it? How can it take the number of cuts you give it and then tell you what cluster it belongs to?
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It is a very cool tool. The Phage Enzyme tools is a database that has confirmed number of cuts for phages, which are assigned to clusters. So Phage Enzyme Tools takes the number of cuts I give it for each of the restriction enzymes and matches it to its “best guess.” This is why I refer to the phage as presumptively Cluster F.
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How does the shape dictate the function of the phage?
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The shape of the phage makes it uniquely suited to attach and insert its DNA into the bacteria. The tail is an injection mechanism and the head is only suited to do one thing: encase and protect the DNA until it gets injected into the bacteria. The phage is exquisitely built to do its job.
LikeLike
Great presentation! If you could go back and refine your methods approach, how would you do so knowing what you now know? You touched on future directions, why do you predict this? What evidence supports?
LikeLike
If I could back, I would create more HTL earlier on and I would run more plates, sooner. I would also try different concentrations. I ran out of HTL for Delfina, which was frustrating. I would also try several DNA isolation rounds each time. Future directions have changed a bit since the presentation because I did confirm that my phage PiaC is NOT Cluster F. The next most likely one according to Phage Enzyme Tools was Cluster A, so I’d try with that. I really would have loved to sequence the phages.
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