Event Title
Host Cell Susceptibility to PRD1
Presentation Type
Poster/Portfolio
Presenter Major(s)
Biomedical Sciences
Mentor Information
Doug Graham
Department
Biomedical Sciences
Location
Kirkhof Center KC32
Start Date
11-4-2012 9:00 AM
Keywords
Life Science
Abstract
The conjugative plasmid pLM2 spreads from cell to cell via sex pili. One or more of the molecules associated with these pili are used by the lytic bacteriophage PRD1 as surface receptors to initiate infection; cells lacking the plasmid are resistant to the phage. The literature is unclear on which of two scenarios best explains the mechanism of host cell susceptibility to PRD1: 1) Does PRD1 adsorb to surface molecules that are constitutively expressed by pLM2? In other words, is a cell harboring pLM2 susceptible to infection 100% of the time, whether or not it is undergoing conjugation?, or 2) Is PRD1 infection made possible (or at least enhanced) by the act of conjugation itself, via one or more components of the sex pilus? We set out to determine which of these two scenarios best explains PRD1 susceptibility.
Host Cell Susceptibility to PRD1
Kirkhof Center KC32
The conjugative plasmid pLM2 spreads from cell to cell via sex pili. One or more of the molecules associated with these pili are used by the lytic bacteriophage PRD1 as surface receptors to initiate infection; cells lacking the plasmid are resistant to the phage. The literature is unclear on which of two scenarios best explains the mechanism of host cell susceptibility to PRD1: 1) Does PRD1 adsorb to surface molecules that are constitutively expressed by pLM2? In other words, is a cell harboring pLM2 susceptible to infection 100% of the time, whether or not it is undergoing conjugation?, or 2) Is PRD1 infection made possible (or at least enhanced) by the act of conjugation itself, via one or more components of the sex pilus? We set out to determine which of these two scenarios best explains PRD1 susceptibility.