Austin Featherstone

Status:

Headshot: 
Mentor: 
Dr. Lee Hughes
Research Topic: 
Characterization of Streptomyces griseus Bacteriophages Using Restriction Mapping
Abstract: 
S. griseus is a bacterium belonging to the family Streptomycetaceae and is commonly found in soil. It is the goal of this project to obtain restriction maps for bacteriophages whose genomes have been previously sequenced and use the resulting restriction maps to aid in classifying newly isolated phages. Genomic DNA from four previously isolated phages and 11 restriction enzymes were used, and resulting patterns were observed through gel electrophoresis. The four phages were chosen as representatives of “groupings” of Streptomyces phages that show >40% sequence similarity at the nucleotide level. Of the 11 restriction enzymes used, HaeIII, KpnI, PmlI, SacI, SfiI, and StyI were found to cut and give different restriction patterns for each of the four phages. NarI, SalI, SmaI, StuI, and XhoI were found to not cut where virtual digests predicted, suggesting potential DNA modification at the restriction recognition site. Resulting restriction maps may be used in the future to screen isolated phages for how they are related to other sequenced phages and aid in identifying phages that potentially fall outside of pre-existing groups.
Alma Mater: 
B.S. Biology | University of North Texas 2013