Microbial Genome Sequencing: Phages of Agronomic Bacteria: A Student-Based Genomics Approach

Texas A&M Research Foundation, College Station TX

Investigators

Abstract

A student-based program to establish a genomic database of bacteriophages that infect agronomically important bacteria, especially agricultural pathogens will be established. The initial bacterial host will be Pseudomonas syringae, which causes a number of important plant diseases. After a development period, the program will constitute the laboratory core of an advanced undergraduate/beginning graduate course in Phage Genomics, in which the teams of students will adopt a bacteriophage, determine and annotate its complete genome sequence, and conduct standard physical and physiological analyses during a full year of supervised research and lecture course activity. In addition to the educational goals served by this effort, the phage genomics database will be a resource to address questions about bacteriophage evolution in the context of plant bacterial hosts and the influence of phage on plant-bacteria interactions, and to probe the possible utility of phage cocktails in biocontrol applications against acute or chronic diseases of plants. This is a Microbial Genome Sequencing Award funded through a collaborative activity between the National Science Foundation and the Department of Agriculture Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems.