Bioinformatic Analysis of Prophage Endolysins and Endolysin-Like Genes from the Order Lactobacillales

Abstract

Endolysins belonging to the group of peptigoglycan hydrolases, which are able to cleave peptidoglycan in bacterial cell walls, become an extensively studied group of enzymes. Thanks to their narrow target specificity and low probability of resistance they are considered to be an appropriate alternative to conventional antibiotics. The present paper concerns the occurrence of endolysin and endolysin-like genes in genomes of bacteria belonging to the order Lactobacillales. Using bioinformatic programmes we compared and analysed protein sequences of catalytic and cell wall binding (CWB) domains of these enzymes, their preferred combinations, their phylogenetic relationship and potential occurence of natural„domain shuffling“. The existence of this phenomenon in selected group of enzymes was confirmed only in limited range, so we assume that the natural trend is the distribution of„well-tried“ combinations of catalytic and CWB domains of endolysin genes as a whole. © 2012, Versita. All rights reserved.