2022 Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium
Location
ScholarSpace, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Document Type
poster
Abstract
Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that parasitize (and often kill) specific bacteria, including the common soil inhabitants Bacillus cereus and B. anthracis Sterne. B. anthracis can cause anthrax, a deadly disease of cattle that has been used as a biological/bio-terror weapon. For this study, we investigated phages with potential as therapeutics or protectants against the safe vaccine strain Bacillus anthracis. Practical applications include phage therapy, the use of phages against bacterial diseases. Phages suitable for therapy or protection need to display physical stability under a wide variety of storage, transport and application conditions. The previous studies in the lab successfully selected a group of Bacillus soil phages that withstood exposure to harsh, conditions. Further work is done by characterizing individual selected phages and non- selected phages in terms of their similarities and differences based on their durability. We plate-increased (at confluent-plaque concentrations) and harvested phages, then concentrated phages by ultracentrifugation. We analyzed phage DNA & protein by agarose or SDS-PAGE gels of selected and non-selected phages. Non-selected and selected isolates were non-identical within each group, based on structural protein profiles analysis. Our result determined Bacillus cereus/anthracis phages that are able to withstand a variety of harsh conditions are not the same as the most abundant pages in the soil populations from this same source. Durability selections may not have seriously diminished heterogeneity available from the wild (non-selected) soil phage assemblage. Selected phages were not the same as the most abundant non-selected from the phage soil population.
Start Date
29-7-2022 11:00 AM
End Date
29-7-2022 1:30 PM
Event Host
Summer Undergraduate Research Program, University of Northern Iowa
Faculty Advisor
Michael H. Walter
Department
Department of Biology
Copyright
©2022 Walderlande Nicolas and Michael H. Walter
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Bacillus cereus; Bacillus anthracis; Bacteriophages--Therapeutic use;
Characterizing Selected, Durable Bacillus Cereus/Anthracis Bacteriophages
ScholarSpace, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa
Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that parasitize (and often kill) specific bacteria, including the common soil inhabitants Bacillus cereus and B. anthracis Sterne. B. anthracis can cause anthrax, a deadly disease of cattle that has been used as a biological/bio-terror weapon. For this study, we investigated phages with potential as therapeutics or protectants against the safe vaccine strain Bacillus anthracis. Practical applications include phage therapy, the use of phages against bacterial diseases. Phages suitable for therapy or protection need to display physical stability under a wide variety of storage, transport and application conditions. The previous studies in the lab successfully selected a group of Bacillus soil phages that withstood exposure to harsh, conditions. Further work is done by characterizing individual selected phages and non- selected phages in terms of their similarities and differences based on their durability. We plate-increased (at confluent-plaque concentrations) and harvested phages, then concentrated phages by ultracentrifugation. We analyzed phage DNA & protein by agarose or SDS-PAGE gels of selected and non-selected phages. Non-selected and selected isolates were non-identical within each group, based on structural protein profiles analysis. Our result determined Bacillus cereus/anthracis phages that are able to withstand a variety of harsh conditions are not the same as the most abundant pages in the soil populations from this same source. Durability selections may not have seriously diminished heterogeneity available from the wild (non-selected) soil phage assemblage. Selected phages were not the same as the most abundant non-selected from the phage soil population.
Comments
The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation