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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 8, 2026

Generating Transposon Insertion Libraries in Gram-Negative Bacteria for High-Throughput Sequencing
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Efagins - engineerable agents that evolved independently to target the enterococcal cell wall.

Janira Prichula1,2,3, Abigail L Manson3, Joshua T Smith3

  • 1Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|December 22, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Efagins are a novel class of antibacterial compounds discovered in Enterococcus faecalis. These compounds target the Epa cell wall, inhibiting multidrug-resistant enterococci, including vancomycin-resistant strains.

Keywords:
Enterococcus faecalisEnterococcus faeciumEpaRha-CWPSVREantimicrobial agentsefagingeneralist specieshospital acquired infectionphage-related elements

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Enterococci are significant causes of hospital-acquired infections, often exhibiting multidrug resistance.
  • The need for novel antibacterial agents against resistant enterococci is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize a new class of antibacterial inhibitors from Enterococcus faecalis.
  • To investigate the mechanism of action and spectrum of activity of these novel inhibitors.

Main Methods:

  • Identification and characterization of the efagin gene cluster in E. faecalis.
  • Structural analysis and comparison with known phage-related elements.
  • Domain-swap experiments to determine the efagin binding target.
  • Testing efagin activity against a panel of E. faecalis strains with different epa genotypes and other enterococcal species.

Main Results:

  • Discovery of efagins, a novel class of intrinsic E. faecalis inhibitors structurally resembling phage tails.
  • Efagins target the Epa cell wall polysaccharide, with variations in efagin classes correlating with Epa genotypes.
  • Efagins inhibit a broad range of E. faecalis strains and multiple enterococcal species, including vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium.

Conclusions:

  • Efagins represent a new class of antibacterial compounds with potential as precision antibacterials.
  • The conserved efagin gene cluster and variable tail fiber region suggest co-evolution with Epa diversity.
  • Efagins demonstrate significant potential for combating multidrug-resistant enterococcal infections.