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Team:MIT phage background
From 2010.igem.org
iGEM 2010
hairy cells and polymerizing phage |
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PHAGE DISPLAY M13 bacteriophage is a long, filamentous virus that infects bacteria via interactions with the F-pilus. By genetically modifying the phage, fusion proteins can be created that become integrated into the phage coat in a defined manner. Usually these new proteins are linked to the pIII or pVIII coat proteins. Thus, novel proteins can be displayed on the phage coat. This has historically been used as a mechanism for screening libraries of proteins or peptides (e.g., antibodies) for binding to a specific substrate or ligand of interest. In a process called panning, a population of phage is iteratively enriched for those that bind a substrate. Phage with proteins that do not bind are washed away and the remaining phage can then be amplified through infection. HYPERPHAGE Hyperphage is a plasmid with the gene for pIII truncated. The pIII protein is required for phage exit from the host cell membrane; phage without a proper pIII grow into long fibril-like structures called polyphages. The goal is to crosslink these polyphages. |
