Presentation Abstract

Student's Name: Flavia Taveri '28

Co-registrant Names:

Type of Presentation: Research Presentation

Presentation Title: "Genomic Analysis of the Bacteriophage RubyParesti"

Abstract:

Bacteriophages are viruses that infect and replicate within bacterial hosts and are considered the most abundant biological entities in the biosphere. Because of their specificity for bacterial hosts, bacteriophages are increasingly studied for their roles in bacterial evolution and their potential applications in biotechnology and medicine. RubyParesti is a bacteriophage that was isolated using the bacterial host Arthrobacter globiformis. After isolation, the genome of RubyParesti was sequenced at the University of Pittsburgh to better understand its genetic composition and classification. Genomic analysis revealed that the phage contains a DNA genome of 144,331 nucleotides with 208 predicted protein-coding genes. Comparative genomic analysis showed that RubyParesti’s genome is most similar to Bacillus phages rather than typical Arthrobacter phages. This unexpected similarity suggests that bacterial contamination may have occurred during the phage isolation process, influencing the host association observed during sequencing. Despite this possibility, characterization of RubyParesti contributes to the growing database of bacteriophage genomes and provides additional insight into phage multiplicity and genome structure. Expanding the catalog of sequenced bacteriophages improves our understanding of viral evolution and supports future research in phage biology and potential therapeutic applications.

Return To Schedule