Engineering the Modular Receptor-Binding Proteins of Klebsiella Phages Switches Their Capsule Serotype Specificity.

ABSTRACT: The high specificity of bacteriophages is driven by their receptor-binding proteins (RBPs). Many Klebsiella bacteriophages target the capsular exopolysaccharide as the receptor and encode RBPs with depolymerase activity. The modular structure of these RBPs with an N-terminal structural module to attach the RBP to the phage tail, and a C-terminal specificity module for exopolysaccharide degradation, supports horizontal transfer as a major evolutionary driver for Klebsiella phage RBPs. We mimicked this natural evolutionary process by the construction of modular RBP chimeras, exchanging N-terminal structural modules and C-terminal specificity modules. All chimeras strictly follow the capsular serotype specificity of the C-terminal module. Transplanting chimeras with a K11 N-term

SUBMITTER: Latka A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8262889 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature