Bioengineers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) are using unique, engineered enzymes to destroy infectious bacterial cells with little risk of the bacteria developing resistance over time.
The engineered enzymes are modified lytic enzymes known as peptidoglycan hydrolases (PGHs). In healthy bacteria, PGHs, which degrade cell walls, play a variety of roles. One PGH, bacteriolysin, is released by bacteria to cause cell wall dissolution in invading bacteria. Another PGH, autolysins, is generated by healthy bacteria to degrade and build up cell walls during their normal cell division process. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect specific bacteria — they release endolysins, another type of PGH, which attack the cell wall from the inside out, causing the cell to explode...
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