Team:BYU Provo/Results

Phage Library

This summer, we developed a cesium chloride gradient protocol for isolating larger and smaller phage. Utilizing this gradient, we were able to isolate mutant T4 bacteriophages that have distinctively larger or smaller capsid. Similarly, we were also able to isolate mutant T7 bacteriophages that have smaller than average capsid size and less variability in capsid size when compared to the wild type.

Cholera

To tackle the disease Cholera, we identified a protein, Amylase, that disrupt Cholera's biofilm formation. On our way to achieving our goals of engineering E. coli to detect and destroy Cholera, we demonstrated that E. coli is capable of sensing Cholera and hypothesize that it does so through its SdiA protein. In addition, we demonstrate induction of Lambda from lysogenic E. coli when exposed to Cholera.