| Detailed Information for Phage LordVader |
| Discovery Information |
| Isolation Host | Mycobacterium smegmatis mc²155 |
| Former names | Skywalker |
| Found By | Sofia Melo |
| Year Found | 2025 |
| Location Found | Ottawa, Canada |
| Finding Institution | University of Ottawa |
| Program | Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science |
| From enriched soil sample? | Yes |
| Isolation Temperature | 37°C |
| GPS Coordinates | 45.412884 N, 75.68632 W Map |
| Discovery Notes | Soil sample came from the woodchip topped soil of a shrub garden located in front of downtown Ottawa's Centretown police station. Ambient temperature was 20 degrees C. Genomic DNA was sequenced on a ONT Minion, R10.4.1 chemistry using rapid barcoding V14 and PCR amplification. The longest read was 53,574bp with 52% query cover, 95.28% identity to phage Frankie (cluster F1). |
| Naming Notes | Since phage morphologies look intergalactic, I named it Skywalker. There was a period where Skywalker became inactive after purification and we thought my phage died. It showed activity again and 'came back from the dead' in a way. LordVader was chosen as an homage to Anakin Skywalker coming back from the brink of death as Darth Vader. |
| Sequencing Information |
| Sequencing Complete? | Yes |
| Date Sequencing Completed | Jan 26, 2026 |
| Sequencing Facility | Pittsburgh Bacteriophage Institute |
| Shotgun Sequencing Method | Illumina |
| Sequencer Used | Illumina NextSeq 1000 |
| Read Type | Single-end reads |
| Read Length | 100 bp |
| Approximate Shotgun Coverage | 949 |
| Genome length (bp) | 53614 |
| Character of genome ends | 3' Sticky Overhang |
| Overhang Length | 10 bases |
| Overhang Sequence | CCGACGGCAT |
| GC Content | 63.2% |
| Fasta file available? | Yes: Download fasta file |
| Characterization |
| Cluster | F |
| Subcluster | -- |
| Cluster Life Cycle | Temperate |
| Other Cluster Members |
|
| Annotating Institution | University of Ottawa |
| Annotation Status | Being Annotated (Expected completion by 5/1/2026) |
| Plaque Notes | Form slow growing, small and clear plaques. Inconsistent size as some plaques are larger than others. As dilution increases, plaques are more turbid and clear even slower. |
| Morphotype | Siphoviridae |
| Has been Phamerated? | No |
| Publication Info |
| Uploaded to GenBank? | No |
| GenBank Accession | None yet |
| Refseq Number | None yet |
| Archiving Info |
| Archiving status |
Not in Pitt Archives |
| SEA Lysate Titer |
6.0x10^10 |
| Available Files |
| Plaque Picture | Download |
| Restriction Digest Picture | Download |
| Virtual Digest Picture | Download |
| EM Picture | Download |