Klebsiella aerogenes PgaB orthologue can efficiently hydrolyze Staphylococcus aureus biofilms

Staphylococcus aureus, a gram-positive bacterium, is the prevalent cause of numerous infections. Its ability to form biofilms significantly enhances its pathogenicity, resulting in increased antibiotic resistance and evasion of the host immune response. Poly-β-(1,6)-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG) plays a crucial role in the formation and maintenance of S. aureus biofilms. In this study, we heterologously expressed KaPgaB from Klebsiella aerogenes and evaluated its efficacy in both degrading and inhibiting S. aureus biofilm formation. Additionally, we investigated the combined effects of KaPgaB with DNase I and papain. Our results demonstrated that KaPgaB alone removed up to 81% of biofilm biomass within 4 h when used at a concentration of 0.5 mg/mL. Moreover, when the enzyme was applied sequentially with DNase I, approximately 97% of adhered biofilms were removed. We also observed significant inhibition of biofilm formation across S. aureus strains. The findings presented in this study might be useful for the development of enzymatic tools capable of degrading S. aureus PNAG-based biofilms.