Int J Mol Sci, 2023, 24(24):17288

Depolymerisation of the Klebsiella pneumoniae Capsular Polysaccharide K21 by Klebsiella Phage K5

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a pathogen associated with various infection types, which often exhibits multiple antibiotic resistance. Phages, or bacterial viruses, have an ability to specifically target and destroy K. pneumoniae, offering a potential means of combatting multidrug-resistant infections. Phage enzymes are another promising therapeutic agent that can break down bacterial capsular polysaccharide, which shields K. pneumoniae from the immune response and external factors. In this study, Klebsiella phage K5 was isolated; this phage is active against Klebsiella pneumoniae with the capsular type K21. It was demonstrated that the phage can effectively lyse the host culture. The adsorption apparatus of the phage has revealed two receptor-binding proteins (RBPs) with predicted polysaccharide depolymerising activity. A recombinant form of both RBPs was obtained and experiments showed that one of them depolymerised the capsular polysaccharide K21. The structure of this polysaccharide and its degradation fragments were analysed. The second receptor-binding protein showed no activity on capsular polysaccharide of any of the 31 capsule types tested, so the substrate for this enzyme remains to be determined in the future. Klebsiella phage K5 may be considered a useful agent against Klebsiella infections.

Lukianova AA, Shneider MM, Evseev PV, Egorov MV, Kasimova AA, Shpirt AM, Shashkov AS, Knirel YA, Kostryukova ES, Miroshnikov KA

IBCH: 11024
Ссылка на статью в журнале: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/24/17288
Кол-во цитирований на 06.2026: 11
Данные статьи проверены модераторами 2023-12-10

Список научных проектов, где отмечена публикация

  1. FMFU-2022-0002. . Внебюджетное финансирование.