Isolation, Sequencing, and Annotation of Novel Bacteriophage

Juni Polansky

Mentor: Dr. Joel Schildbach

Supervisor: Russell Hughes

Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus

Antibiotics are the most common treatment for bacterial infections. However, as bacteria develop antibiotic resistance, treatments are becoming less effective. One solution to this problem is bacteriophages, or phages, which are viruses that infect and kill bacteria. Phage research holds promise, as phages target specific pathogens without affecting harmless bacteria. In order to further the field of phage research, it is crucial to expand the dataset of discovered phages. Each phage has a specific host range, so having a wider scope of discovered phages enables a more comprehensive range of bacteria to be targeted and possibly treated. For this project, five distinct phages were identified, isolated, purified, and concentrated into lysates (aqueous phage samples). The concentration and morphology of each phage were determined, and the samples were sequenced. The results from sequencing yielded three novel bacteriophages. Ideally, to complete this process, these sequenced genomes would be annotated and added to the Actinobacteriophage Database. Due to COVID-19, this was not immediately possible, so instead, the genome of previously sequenced Cluster M1 phage SirSheldon was annotated. A genome announcement was written for that phage. Through this project, the bank of discovered phages was increased as well as the understanding of the M1 phage cluster.