Status ReportBy: SJ DeGroote and Sarah Pellerino

Background Info

• A phage is a virus that infects and replicates inside bacteria.

• They cannot live on their own and they depend on a host cell to replicate and spread.

• For a long time phages and other viruses weren’t studied and were basically completely ignored, but it’s starting to come to attention that viruses are actually an important part of life and need to be studied and researched.

DeGroovy Jr.• From a straw bale

garden with plants growing in them in River Falls township, Wisc. on 9/19/13 at 7:15am. Air temp. was 62 degrees F. Cloudy and humid.

• Various sizes ranging from 1mm to 3mm

• Clear, tiny halo

• HTL titer: SJ: 3.0 x 10^8 pfu/ml

Sarah: 1.2 x 10^5 pfu/ml

Figure 1 (above)Figure 2 (right)

SJ DNA Isolation

• Concentration: 0.0775μg/μl

• Yield: 7.75 μg

• A260: 0.155• A280: 0.089• Ratio: 1.742

Figure 3 First DNA gel results

HindIIIHaeIIIEcoRI

ClaIBamHIUndig.

dnaKb

Sarah DNA Isolation

• Concentration: 0.0985 μg/μl

• Yield: 9.85 μg

• A260: 0.197• A280: 0.112• Ratio: 1.759

Figure 4: First DNA gel results

HindIIIHaeIIIEcoRI

ClaIBamHI

Undig.Dna

Kb

Pst 1

Sal 1

Eco RvNco 1

KbPst 1Sal 1

Eco RvNco 1

SJ’s are the top four wells, Sarah’s are the bottom four wells.

Figure 5 second DNA gel results

Electron Microscope

SJAvg. head size:

41.6nmAvg. tail size:

93.75nm

SarahAvg. head size:

40nmAvg. tail size: 90nm

Figure 6 SJ’s electron microscopy

Figure 7 Sarah’s electron microscopy

Similarities

• Jessica Dahlke and Emma Sweet’s second DNA gel run seem to be identical to our second gel. Although, the average head and tail sizes from the electron microscopy differ, so we’re not certain if they are the same or not.

Figure 8 Jessica and Emma’s 2nd DNA gel

PstISal I

Eco RvNco I

KbNco I

Eco RvSal IPst I

References

• Kirby, Breeann, and Jeremy J. Barr. “Going Viral.” The Scientist 1 Sept. 2013:1-6. The Scientist. Web. 2 Dec. 2013.