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Diversity of Endolysin Domain Architectures in Bacteriophages Infecting Bacilli

Olga N Koposova1, Olesya A Kazantseva1, Andrey M Shadrin1

  • 1Laboratory of Bacteriophage Biology, G.K. Skryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Federal Research Center, Prospect Nauki, 5, 142290 Pushchino, Russia.

Biomolecules
|January 8, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Antibiotic resistance is a growing threat. This study analyzes endolysin domains from bacteriophages infecting bacilli, identifying novel domains with potential for developing new antibacterial agents.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens pose a significant global health challenge.
  • Bacteriophage-derived endolysins are potent antibacterial enzymes with modular structures.
  • Modular endolysins offer opportunities for engineering novel antibacterial agents.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To comprehensively analyze the diversity of endolysin domains in bacteriophages that infect bacilli.
  • To create a database of endolysins from bacilli-infecting bacteriophages.
  • To identify uncharacterized endolysin domains for future antibacterial agent development.

Main Methods:

  • Bioinformatic analysis of 438 phage genomes using NCBI, RASTtk, BLASTp, HHpred, and InterPro.
  • Phylogenetic analysis of endolysins using MEGA X software.
  • Identification and classification of catalytic and cell wall binding domains.

Main Results:

  • 454 endolysin genes were identified across 438 phage genomes.
  • Eight distinct catalytic and seven distinct cell wall binding domain types were discovered.
  • A significant number of identified endolysin domains remain experimentally uncharacterized.

Conclusions:

  • The domain diversity in bacilli-infecting phage endolysins is substantial.
  • Many endolysin domains possess unexplored potential for novel antibacterial therapies.
  • Further experimental characterization of these domains is crucial for developing new antimicrobial strategies.
Keywords:
BacillusN-acetylglucosaminidasesN-acetylmuramidasesN-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidasesand lytic transglycosylasesantibacterial compoundsantibiotic resistancebacteriophagedomain architecturesendolysinendopeptidases

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