Fermentation Technology

Efficient engineering of a bacteriophage genome using the type I-E CRISPR-Cas system

World Congress on Beneficial Microbes: Food, Pharma, Aqua & Beverages Industry

August 25-27, 2015 Valencia, Spain

Udi Qimron, Ruth Kiro, Dror Shitrit, Miriam Manor and Ido Yosef

Tel Aviv University, Israel

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: Ferment Technol

Abstract:

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated (Cas) system has recently been used to engineer genomes of various organisms but surprisingly not those of bacteriophages (phages). Here we present a method to genetically engineer the Escherichia coli phage T7 using the type I-E CRISPR-Cas system. A phage genome is edited by homologous recombination with a DNA sequence flanked by sequences homologous to the desired location. Non-edited genomes are targeted by the CRISPR-Cas system thus enabling isolation of the desired recombinant phages. This method broadens CRISPR-Cas-based editing to phages and uses a CRISPR-Cas type other than type II. The method may be adjusted to genetically engineer any bacteriophage genome.

Biography :

Udi Qimron has completed his PhD from University of the Negev. Currently, he is working as Senior Lecturer in Clinical Microbiology and Immunology Dept. Tel Aviv University, Israel.

Email: ehudq@post.tau.ac.il