Pronunciation: [hˈɛlpə fˈe͡ɪd͡ʒ] (IPA) 
The term "helper phage" is commonly used in molecular biology to refer to a type of bacteriophage that can act as a helper in the process of creating a recombinant virus. It is pronounced with the IPA transcription /ˈhɛlpər feɪdʒ/, with the "h" being pronounced like "hep", and the "ph" representing an aspirated "p" sound, as in "hip". The "a" in "phage" is pronounced as a long "a" sound, while the "e" at the end is silent.
A helper phage is a type of bacteriophage that plays a crucial role in the process of phage display. Bacteriophages are viruses that specifically infect bacteria, and helper phages are designed to assist in the cloning and expression of foreign genes in the process of protein engineering.
Helper phages work in conjunction with a display phage, which is a modified bacteriophage that presents a foreign protein on its surface. The helper phages carry a set of necessary genetic components that aid in the replication and propagation of the display phage. They accomplish this by providing the essential functions that the display phage lacks, such as replication initiation proteins and coat proteins.
The involvement of helper phages in phage display enables the efficient screening of large protein libraries to identify specific protein interactions, such as protein-protein or protein-ligand interactions. They assist in the packaging of the display phage DNA into new phage particles, thereby enabling the easy and rapid identification and isolation of target proteins.
The use of helper phages has expanded the utility of phage display as a powerful tool in various scientific and medical applications. By harnessing the genetic machinery of the helper phage, scientists are able to engineer and discover novel proteins with desired functions, leading to advancements in drug development, molecular biology research, and therapy design.
The term "helper phage" is composed of two components: "helper" and "phage".
- "Helper" is derived from the Middle English word "helpere", ultimately derived from the Old English word "helpend". It has its roots in the Germanic language family and is related to the Old High German word "helfenti" and the Old Norse word "hjalpandi", both meaning "helper" or "assistant".
- "Phage" is a short form of "bacteriophage", which combines the Greek words "bakterion" (meaning "small staff" or "rod") and "phagein" (meaning "to eat"). Thus, bacteriophages are viruses that infect and replicate within bacteria.
Therefore, "helper phage" refers to a type of bacteriophage that assists in the replication process of other phages, typically by providing necessary proteins or enzymes.
