@article{01JJJ66WCCGCBBPVAZ63XTGAVV,
  abstract     = {{Background: Phage tail-like bacteriocins, or tailocins, provide a competitive advantage to producer cells by killing closely related bacteria. Morphologically similar to headless phages, their narrow target specificity is determined by receptor-binding proteins (RBPs). While RBP engineering has been used to alter the target range of a selected R2 tailocin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the process is labor-intensive, limiting broader application. Methods: We introduce a VersaTile-driven R2 tailocin engineering and screening platform to scale up RBP grafting. Results: This platform achieved three key milestones: (I) engineering R2 tailocins specific to Escherichia coli serogroups O26, O103, O104, O111, O145, O146, and O157; (II) reprogramming R2 tailocins to target, for the first time, the capsule and a new species, specifically the capsular serotype K1 of E. coli and K11 and K63 of Klebsiella pneumoniae; (III) creating the first bivalent tailocin with a branched RBP and cross-species activity, effective against both E. coli K1 and K. pneumoniae K11. Over 90% of engineered tailocins were effective, with clear pathways for further optimization identified. Conclusions: This work lays the groundwork for a scalable platform for the development of engineered tailocins, marking an important step towards making R2 tailocins a practical therapeutic tool for targeted bacterial infections.}},
  articleno    = {{104}},
  author       = {{Dams, Dorien and Pas, Célia and Łątka, Agnieszka and Drulis-Kawa, Zuzanna and Fieseler, Lars and Briers, Yves}},
  issn         = {{2079-6382}},
  journal      = {{ANTIBIOTICS-BASEL}},
  keywords     = {{tailocin,phage tail-like bacteriocin,R2 pyocin,receptor-binding protein,tailspike,VersaTile,phage-host interactions,Klebsiella pneumoniae,Escherichia coli,R-TYPE PYOCINS,PSEUDOMONAS-AERUGINOSA,BACTERIOCIN,PURIFICATION,PROTEIN,BACTERIOPHAGES,INFECTION,PHAGES,MODEL,TALE}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{28}},
  title        = {{A VersaTile approach to reprogram the specificity of the R2-type tailocin towards different serotypes of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14010104}},
  volume       = {{14}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}

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