Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

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...

Viral Replication: Lytic Cycle

Viral Replication: Lytic Cycle

Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that specifically infect bacteria. Among them, T-even bacteriophages, such as T4, exhibit a well-characterized lytic replication cycle in Escherichia coli (E. coli). This process ensures the rapid proliferation of the virus while ultimately leading to the destruction of the bacterial host.Attachment and DNA InjectionThe infection process begins with the recognition and binding of the T4 phage to the E. coli cell surface. Tail fibers of the phage...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The effect of aircraft cockpit rudder pedal shape on lower limb muscle activation, plantar pressure, and comfort.

Applied ergonomics·2026

Same author

Discovery of High-Performance Extremophiles and Extremozymes Using Machine Learning and Structure-Based Clustering.

Environmental science & technology·2026

Same author

Synergistic polysulfide regulation and lithium deposition enabled by core-shell Ag/Ag<sub>2</sub>S heterostructured fabric.

Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)·2026

Same author

Probiotics: From natural to artificial.

Biotechnology advances·2026

Same author

Omega-based mini prime- and base-editing systems in Escherichia coli.

Trends in biotechnology·2026

Same author

Accurate enzyme specificity constant prediction with iESC.

Bioresource technology·2026

Same journal

Periphytic biofilms entrap CO<sub>2</sub> from industrial gas mixtures.

Trends in biotechnology·2026

Same journal

CRISPR/Cas14a-based logic system for intelligent microplastic monitoring based on multiple DNA walking mechanisms.

Trends in biotechnology·2026

Same journal

Smart biomaterials: From responsiveness to closed-loop sensing and feedback.

Trends in biotechnology·2026

Same journal

Bacterial spores as a modular platform for the production of amyloids for materials.

Trends in biotechnology·2026

Same journal

The oriGen case and Mexico's regulatory blind spots in genomic biobanking.

Trends in biotechnology·2026

Same journal

A caspase-3-activated protein expression system for apoptosis visualization and apoptosis-pyroptosis conversion to boost antitumor activity.

Trends in biotechnology·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 9, 2025

Synthesis of Infectious Bacteriophages in an E. coli-based Cell-free Expression System

Synthesis of Infectious Bacteriophages in an E. coli-based Cell-free Expression System

Published on: August 17, 2017

A cell-free bacteriophage synthesis system for directed evolution.

Bo Xu¹, Li-Hua Liu², Houliang Lin²

¹School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning 437100, PR China.

Trends in Biotechnology

|October 27, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed a faster cell-free M13 phage synthesis system. This system enabled directed evolution of T7 RNA polymerase (RNAP) and suppressor tRNA, improving gene expression and stop codon readthrough.

Keywords:

M13 phage cell-free synthesis directed evolution droplets genome simplification

More Related Videos

Mutagenesis and Functional Selection Protocols for Directed Evolution of Proteins in E. coli

Mutagenesis and Functional Selection Protocols for Directed Evolution of Proteins in E. coli

Published on: March 16, 2011

Author Spotlight: Optimizing CFPS Systems for Synthetic Cell Construction

Author Spotlight: Optimizing CFPS Systems for Synthetic Cell Construction

Published on: April 19, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 9, 2025

Synthesis of Infectious Bacteriophages in an E. coli-based Cell-free Expression System

Synthesis of Infectious Bacteriophages in an E. coli-based Cell-free Expression System

Published on: August 17, 2017

Mutagenesis and Functional Selection Protocols for Directed Evolution of Proteins in E. coli

Mutagenesis and Functional Selection Protocols for Directed Evolution of Proteins in E. coli

Published on: March 16, 2011

Author Spotlight: Optimizing CFPS Systems for Synthetic Cell Construction

Author Spotlight: Optimizing CFPS Systems for Synthetic Cell Construction

Published on: April 19, 2024

Area of Science:

Biotechnology
Molecular Biology
Synthetic Biology

Background:

Efficient phage production is crucial for drug discovery, disease treatment, and gene evolution.
Traditional in vivo methods for phage production are time-consuming and less efficient.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a robust and efficient cell-free synthesis system for M13 phage production.
To establish a cell-free directed evolution system for protein and nucleic acid engineering.
To improve the efficiency of gene expression and stop codon readthrough.

Main Methods:

Simplified M13 phage genome construction for cell-free synthesis.
Development of a droplet-based cell-free directed evolution system.
Coupling the system with fluorescence-activated droplet sorting (FADS).
Evolution of T7 RNA polymerase (RNAP) and tryptophan tRNA.

Main Results:

Achieved three-times faster M13 phage production compared to traditional in vivo methods.
Successfully evolved T7 RNAP with twofold higher activity for terminator readthrough.
Evolved tryptophan tRNA into a suppressor tRNA with eightfold increased activity for UAG stop codon readthrough.

Conclusions:

The developed cell-free system offers a significantly more efficient approach for M13 phage production.
This platform enables rapid directed evolution of key biological components like RNAP and tRNA.
The enhanced components have potential applications in synthetic biology and biotechnology.