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.

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Apr 11th, 9:00 AM

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.