I know you mentioned taking a soil sample for this experiment, does the location of where you got the soil sample matter? Or would you expect the same if not similar results from a soil sample anywhere else.
We collected our sample from a very moist and warm environment, which I believe impacted the presence of phage in the sample. The first sample was collected from another part of campus in a dry and cold location, and no phage were present in the sample.
Our phage is temperate, but if it were used to fight a specific type of bacteria in a bacterial infection, it would need to be modified to become a lytic phage. Lytic phage will lyse and kill all bacteria they infect, which would help cure the infection.
When we performed the PCR experiment, there was a band present in the A1 primer lane, which indicated to us that A1 primers had bound to the DNA and amplified the segment. This showed that our phage had A1 DNA and was thus part of the A1 cluster.
Nice job! How does the temperate nature of your phage influence it’s functionality in fighting the more dangerous bacteria mentioned in your future directions section?
Because our phage is temperate, we would need to genetically modify it to become lytic. This would be done by blocking the integrase protein that integrates the phage DNA into the bacterial genome, as well as blocking the repressor that blocks the lytic cycle. After these modifications, the phage could reasonably be used to fight a bacterial infection.
I know you mentioned taking a soil sample for this experiment, does the location of where you got the soil sample matter? Or would you expect the same if not similar results from a soil sample anywhere else.
We collected our sample from a very moist and warm environment, which I believe impacted the presence of phage in the sample. The first sample was collected from another part of campus in a dry and cold location, and no phage were present in the sample.
What is the importance of learning more about Siphoviridae bacteriophages in particular?
Siphoviridae are a very common form of phage, and learning more about their morphology gives us possible information about their behavior
What is the purpose of inducing a lytic life cycle in your phage?
Our phage is temperate, but if it were used to fight a specific type of bacteria in a bacterial infection, it would need to be modified to become a lytic phage. Lytic phage will lyse and kill all bacteria they infect, which would help cure the infection.
Why did you expect the A1 cluster in your hypothesis?
When we performed the PCR experiment, there was a band present in the A1 primer lane, which indicated to us that A1 primers had bound to the DNA and amplified the segment. This showed that our phage had A1 DNA and was thus part of the A1 cluster.
Nice job! How does the temperate nature of your phage influence it’s functionality in fighting the more dangerous bacteria mentioned in your future directions section?
Because our phage is temperate, we would need to genetically modify it to become lytic. This would be done by blocking the integrase protein that integrates the phage DNA into the bacterial genome, as well as blocking the repressor that blocks the lytic cycle. After these modifications, the phage could reasonably be used to fight a bacterial infection.