Recent Advances in Endolysin Engineering

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Biotechnology
• Drug Discovery

Background:

• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant threat to global health, driven by overuse of conventional antibiotics.
• Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) necessitate novel therapeutic strategies.
• Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, offer a source of antimicrobial agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advances in engineering bacteriophage endolysins as antimicrobials.
• To discuss novel protein engineering methods for enhancing endolysin efficacy.
• To explore future directions in endolysin-based antimicrobial development.

Main Methods:

• Protein engineering techniques such as membrane-permeabilizing peptide attachment, domain-swapping, and catalytic-site modification.
• In silico design pipelines for rational endolysin engineering.
• Library-based screening methods for identifying enhanced endolysin variants.

Main Results:

• Engineered endolysins demonstrate improved antimicrobial activity against MDROs.
• Novel protein engineering approaches have significantly enhanced endolysin potency and spectrum of activity.
• Advanced computational and screening tools accelerate the development of effective endolysin-based therapies.

Conclusions:

• Endolysin engineering represents a rapidly advancing field with substantial potential to combat antimicrobial resistance.
• Further research into endolysin engineering holds promise for developing next-generation antimicrobials.
• Targeted engineering of bacteriophage endolysins offers a viable alternative to traditional antibiotics.