Uso de la endolisina fágica LysK recombinante frente a cepas de Staphylococcus warneri

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance represents one of the main threats to global public health, with projections estimating 10 million annual deaths by 2050 if effective therapeutic alternatives are not developed. In this context, bacteriophage endolysins emerge as promising antimicrobial agents due to their specificity, efficacy, and low potential for resistance generation. The present research work is focused on the recombinant expression, purification, and characterization of the LysK endolysin derived from bacteriophage vB_G30_01. The implemented methodology comprised three main phases: first, heterologous expression of the endolysin in Escherichia coli BL21 using the pET-28a(+) system, optimizing induction conditions with IPTG; second, purification of the recombinant protein through Ni-NTA affinity chromatography and verification by SDS-PAGE; and third, evaluation of in vitro antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus warneri through determination of minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations.The scientific novelty of the study lies in the functional characterization of a native endolysin identified in the genome of an autochthonous bacteriophage, constituting the first report of recombinant expression and antimicrobial evaluation of this specific lytic enzyme. The obtained antimicrobian results provide solid foundations for the future development of this endolysin as a therapeutic alternative in the treatment of staphylococcal infections, contributing significantly to the arsenal of biotechnological tools available to combat antimicrobial resistance.