Lysins, also known as
endolysins or
murein hydrolases, are
hydrolytic enzymes produced by
bacteriophages in order to cleave the host's
cell wall during the final stage of the
lytic cycle. Lysins are highly evolved enzymes that are able to target one of the five bonds in
peptidoglycan (murein), the main component of bacterial cell walls, which allows the release of progeny virions from the lysed cell. These enzymes are being used as antibacterial agents due to their high effectiveness and specificity in comparison with
antibiotics, which are susceptible to bacterial resistance.