DepoCatalog: mapping diversity of 129 recombinantly produced Klebsiella phage depolymerases
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Our understanding of how depolymerase sequence and structure determine substrate specificity is fragmentary due to the limited number of experimentally characterized enzymes. Here we show DepoCatalog - an experimentally validated collection of 129 recombinantly prepared Klebsiella phage depolymerases (90 enzymes produced in this study and 39 homologs from the literature), with specificity spanning 75 KL-types. Enzymes originated from podo-, sipho-, myo-, jumbo phages, and prophages. Using activity profiling, structural modeling, and domain dissection, we propose a five‑class framework that captures the architectural and functional diversity of these enzymes. DepoCatalog uncovers cross-reactivity and taxa‑specific enzymes. Structural comparisons indicate that specificity switching or extension is associated with modifications to the C‑terminal domain. We further hypothesize that podoviruses encoding up to two RBPs show greater receptor adaptability than jumbo phages with multiple specialized RBPs. Finally, we develop a publicly accessible, DepoCat dataset ( https://depocat.uwr.edu.pl ) for specificity, structural classification and comparison of newly identified depolymerases.
Source: Nature Communications
Authors: Aleksandra Otwinowska, Sebastian Olejniczak, Agnieszka Latka, Maria Pozniak, Grazyna Majkowska-Skrobek, Barbara Maciejewska, Janusz Koszucki, Vyshakh R. Panicker, Sara Jablonska, Mathilde Hulsens, Jana Stender, Maha Niazi, Sabrina Green, Joachim J. Bugert, Régis Tournebize, Stan J. J. Brouns, Flavia Squeglia, Rita Berisio, Jens A. Hammerl, Rob Lavigne, Yves Briers, Rafal J. Mostowy, Zuzanna Drulis-Kawa
Institutions: University of Wrocław, Ghent University, Jagiellonian University, Institut für Mikrobiologie der Bundeswehr, KU Leuven, Inserm, Institut Pasteur, Sorbonne Université, Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses, Delft University of Technology, Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,990
Awards: G1314536855, G2008133754, The organization and evolution of receptor binding proteins in Klebsiella phages by exploiting novel tools in synthetic biology, G3405822337, G358810829, G369478330, Horizontal and vertical evolution of receptor-binding proteins in mono- and bivalent Klebsiella bacteriophages, G4437918965, Promoting gut decolonization of multi-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae via the microbiome, G5929241788, Design and implementation of effective cOmbination of Phages and Antibiotics for improved TheRApy protocols against KLEbsiella pneumoniae, G6761389777, G683903339, G70638451, G7967738169
OpenAlex ID: W7162134395