By Elizabeth Sullivan and Brooke Johnson

Faculty Mentor: Swati Agrawal

Abstract

Nearly eight million individuals succumb to bacterial infections annually, positioning it as the second leading cause of death worldwide. As bacterial resistance to antibiotics continues to rise, research on bacteriophages has emerged as a valuable alternative in mitigating fatalities caused by bacterial pathogens. Characterized by their capsid-enclosed heads and diverse tail morphologies—Siphoviridae, Myoviridae, and Podoviridae—phages exhibit extensive genetic variability. Jabberwock, a Bacillus phage with contractile tail (Myoviridae) was discovered by UMW students in 2022, and it possesses a previously uncharacterized genome. Our study aimed to analyze and determine the functions of genes 32-45, 47-49, and 71-75 of the Jabberwock genome in order to determine its therapeutic potential. As part of the Biochemistry of Proteins class, we used an array of protein characterization tools such as HHPred, NCBI, Phages DB, SwissModel, and ChimeraX, to identify the functions of the proteins for which these genes encode. Specifically, dihydrofolate reductase, Cytochrome C oxidase subunit 6C, the 50S ribosomal protein, a phage head maturation protease, major head (capsid) protein, and tail head adaptor protein domains were identified through multiple analysis for genes 40, 44, 47, 71, 73, and 75, respectively.