Polypeptide Mixes for Staphylococcus aureus Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current antimicrobials targeting Staphylococcus aureus face challenges due to low enzyme activity and protein stability, particularly with emerging antibiotic-resistant strains, limiting their effectiveness in controlling microbial contamination in food and feed products.

Innovation Solution

A combination of distinct enzymatic active domains with different target bond specificities, where each domain is comprised on a separate polypeptide, enhancing synergistic effects, stability, and production efficiency, allowing for improved antimicrobial activity and thermostability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If endolysins are used to control Staphylococcus aureus, then antimicrobial activity is achieved, but enzyme activity is low and production in large quantities is difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveantimicrobial activityVSAvoidproduction quantity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the endolysin into separate functional domains (amidase domain and endopeptidase domain) that can be produced independently as separate polypeptides. This segmentation allows each domain to be optimized and produced separately, improving overall production quantity while maintaining antimicrobial activity through the combination of domains.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If endolysins are used to control Staphylococcus aureus, then antimicrobial activity is achieved, but protein stability is poor

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveantimicrobial activityVSAvoidprotein stability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a composite system by combining separate amidase and endopeptidase polypeptides, each with stable structural domains. The distinct polypeptides can be formulated together to achieve synergistic stability, where each component contributes to the overall stability of the antimicrobial preparation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

3Productivity

If multiple enzymatic domains are combined on separate polypeptides, then production efficiency and stability are improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduction efficiencyVSAvoidcombination complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs universal cell wall binding domains that can be attached to different enzymatic domains, creating multi-functional polypeptides. This approach standardizes certain components (binding domains) while allowing customization of enzymatic domains, thereby managing complexity through modular design rather than increasing it.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The combination of enzymatic active domains on separate polypeptides achieves enhanced antimicrobial activity, improved stability, and easier production, effectively addressing the limitations of existing antimicrobials by providing a potent and stable solution for controlling Staphylococcus aureus contamination.

Implementation Method 1

a first enzymatic domain according to the present invention has catalytic activity to hydrolyse a specific target bond

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHydrolysis: Hydrolysis

Data Source

PatentEP2847328B1Polypeptide mixes with antibacterial activity
Publication Date: 2020.03.11 MICREOS HUMAN HEALTH
  • EP2847328B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2847328B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2847328B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to the field of microbiology, specifically to a combination of a source of a first enzymatic active domain and a source of a second enzymatic active domain and to a composition comprising said combination. The invention further relates to a composition comprising said combination for use as a medicament, to the use of said composition as an antimicrobial agent and to a method for controlling microbial contamination in a food-or feed product, on and/or in food-or feed processing equipment, on and/or in food-or feed containers.