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Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages

Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages

Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are specialized viruses that infect bacteria. A key characteristic of phages is their distinctive “head-tail” morphology. A phage begins the infection process (i.e., lytic cycle) by attaching to the outside of a bacterial cell. Attachment is accomplished via proteins in the phage tail that bind to specific receptor proteins on the outer surface of the bacterium. The tail injects the phage’s DNA genome into the bacterial cytoplasm. In the...

Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages

Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages

In contrast to the lytic cycle, phages infecting bacteria via the lysogenic cycle do not immediately kill their host cell. Instead, they combine their genome with the host genome, allowing the bacteria to replicate the phage DNA along with the bacterial genome. The incorporated copy of the phage genome is called the prophage. Some prophages can re-activate and enter the lytic cycle. This often occurs in response to a perturbation, such as DNA damage, but can also transpire in the absence of...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2025

Author Spotlight: An Adapted Optical Density-Based Microplate Assay for Characterizing Actinobacteriophage Infection

Author Spotlight: An Adapted Optical Density-Based Microplate Assay for Characterizing Actinobacteriophage Infection

Published on: June 30, 2023

Bacteriophage-Based Bioanalysis.

David R Parker¹, Sam R Nugen¹

¹Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA;

Annual Review of Analytical Chemistry (Palo Alto, Calif.)

|July 17, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) offer novel biosensor applications for bacterial detection. Advances in phage biology and engineering enable custom phage design for enhanced biosensor development.

Keywords:

bacteria bacteriophage bioanalysis biosensors pathogen detection phage

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Area of Science:

Microbiology
Biosensor Technology
Synthetic Biology

Background:

Bacteriophages are natural predators of bacteria, possessing mechanisms for host recognition, binding, infection, and lysis.
These characteristics make bacteriophages highly suitable for developing sensitive bacterial detection biosensors.
Existing reviews cover phage-based biosensor performance, necessitating a focus on emerging interdisciplinary advancements.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the current landscape of phage-based biosensors.
To highlight recent advances in phage biology and engineering relevant to biosensor development.
To explore alternative, bottom-up approaches for designing custom bacteriophages for specific detection tasks.

Main Methods:

Literature review of phage-based biosensor research.
Analysis of advancements in synthetic biology, machine learning, and genetic engineering.
Exploration of novel phage design strategies.

Main Results:

Phage-based biosensors represent a growing field with significant potential for bacterial detection.
Interdisciplinary fields like synthetic biology and genetic engineering are providing new tools for phage innovation.
Custom phage design offers a promising avenue for creating highly specific and efficient biosensors.

Conclusions:

Phage-based biosensors are a rapidly evolving area with diverse applications.
Leveraging advances in adjacent scientific fields can significantly enhance phage biosensor capabilities.
Future developments may focus on custom-designed phages for targeted bacterial detection.