Phage Adsorption Rate Assay

Phage therapy is a good alternative to antibiotics by using bacteriophages to treat various infections caused by bacteria. Equipped with world-leading technology platforms and professional scientific staff, Creative Biolabs provides novel phage adsorption rate assays for our clients all over the world.

Introduction of Phage Adsorption Rate

The life cycle of phage infection can be divided into three successive stages, which include adsorption, maturation, and lysis. Among them, adsorption is the process of finding susceptible host cells to initiate infection. This can be achieved by the recognition of receptors on the host cell surface by phage tail fibers or other attachment proteins. Studies have shown that the adsorption process is the result of a combination of physical diffusion, biochemical surface interactions, and conformational changes in receptor proteins. In addition, properties such as the mode of action of the phage and local changes in the physiology of the host cell can also affect the binding capacity of the phage and the sensitivity of the host cell.

There is a positive correlation between adsorption rate and host density. That is, an environment of high host density means a high adsorption rate of phages and ultimately leads to shorter search times for phages. What's more, shorter search times lead to shorter optimal lysis time. To increase the adsorption rate, there are more than two mechanisms which include mutations at the tail fiber gene J or reacquisition of the side tail fiber via revertant mutation. It is therefore biologically possible to convert low-adsorption (LA) phage into high-adsorption (HA) phage through a single mutation step.

Measurement of Phage Adsorption Rate

In the past decades, a series of methods have been developed for the measurement of phage adsorption rate. For example, there is a way to measure the efficiency of phage adsorption by detecting free unadsorbed phage. Through a series of incubation and isolation operations, changes in free virus abundance in solution over time can be used to calculate adsorption rates. On the other hand, the adsorption rate can also be calculated by fitting the log-transformed relative phage concentration data with a linear regression line, the slope of which is the product of the adsorption rate and the bacterial cell concentration.

Fig.1 Isolation and biological characterization of phage vABPW7.¹

Creative Biolabs offers the most advanced and comprehensive phage adsorption rate services. We work to amplify your success in a highly collaborative manner. If you are interested in our services, please do not hesitate to contact us for detailed information.

Reference:

1. Wintachai, Phitchayapak, et al. "Isolation and characterization of a Phapecoctavirus infecting multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in A549 alveolar epithelial cells." Viruses 14.11 (2022): 2561. Under Open Access license CC BY 4.0, without modification.