Ying Chan: M13 Renovation

Nature often preserves functionally critical genomic elements, and evolutionary cousins can help us identify which genetic elements are disposable, which are interchangeable, and which are essential. Who are M13's closest evolutionary relatives and how do they differ from the phage you're working with?

M13's closest evolutionary relatives are the fd and f1 filamentous phages. They are a group of single-stranded, rod shaped bacteria that are lysogenic. fd and f1 differ from M13 in their major protein coat.

Register for an account at the Registry for Standard Biological Parts. This site is a clearing house for engineered biological parts that can be used as substrates for building. Look up part BBa_M1307 and write a response to the following criticism: "BBa_M1307 is not a standard biological part and does not belong in the registry."

M13K07 is not defined as a standard biological part because it is a composite of different parts; therefore, it is acts as a "device", which has several functions, rather than as a part (has one function).