From Soil to Sequence: the Story of SpikeBT — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

From Soil to Sequence: the Story of SpikeBT

Name: Wendy Cruz
Major: Biology
Hometown: Racine, WI
Faculty Sponsor: Deborah Tobiason
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project
Funding: HHMI SEA-Phages

Name: Tabitha Hudock
Major: Biology
Hometown: Kenosha, WI
Faculty Sponsor: Deborah Tobiason
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project
Funding: HHMI SEA-Phages

Name: Amy Sorge
Major: Biology
Hometown: Seaside Park, NJ
Faculty Sponsor: Deborah Tobiason
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project
Funding: HHMI SEA-Phages

Name: Elizabeth Stroh
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Normal, IL
Faculty Sponsor: Deborah Tobiason
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project
Funding: HHMI SEA-Phages

Abstract

Bacteriophage, or phage, are viruses that infect bacteria. One of their most fascinating qualities is their unmatched, incredible genetic diversity. In experiments during the fall of 2016, a phage dubbed SpikeBT, specific to the bacterial host Mycobacterium smegmatis, was isolated from a soil sample. That year, an additional 40 Mycobacterium phages were discovered by Carthage students! In order to extract phage from the soil sample, enriched isolation was used. Through dilutions and plating, SpikeBT's specific large plaques were used to isolate and purify the single phage. SpikeBT then had its genome sequenced and was determined to be a Subcluster A1 phage with a temperate lifestyle and a siphoviridae morphology. We then began the process of annotating this genome, as it compares to other genomes in the database, to gather information about each of the phage’s genes. Then, using the information gathered, attempts were made to determine their functions.

Poster file