Homology modeling of an antifungal metabolite plipastatin synthase from the Bacillus subtilis 168

Lipopeptides have a widespread role in different pathways of Bacillus subtilis; they can act as antagonists, spreader and immunostimulators. Plipastatin, an antifungal antibiotic, is one of the most important lipopeptide nonribosomly produced by Bacillus subtilis. Plipastatin has strong fungitoxic activity and involve in inhibition of phospholipase A2 and biofilm formation. For better understanding of the molecule and pathway by which lipopeptide plipastatin is synthesized, we present a computationally predicted structure of plipastatin using homology modeling. Primary and secondary structure analysis suggested that ppsD is a hydrophilic protein containing a significant proportion of alpha helices, and subcellular localization predictions suggested it is a cytoplasmic protein. The tertiary structure of protein (plipastatin synthase subunit D) was predicted by homology modeling. The results suggest a flexible structure which is also an important characteristic of active enzymes enabling them to bind various cofactors and substrates for proper functioning. Validation of 3D structure was done using Ramachandran plot ProsA-web and QMEAN score.This predicted information will help in better understanding of mechanisms underlying plipastatin synthase subunit D synthesis. Plipastatin can be used as an inhibitor of various fungal diseases in plants.     

Isolation and characterization of lipopeptide antibiotics produced by Bacillus subtilis

Aims:  Antibiotics from Bacillus subtilis JA show strong pathogen inhibition ability, which has potential market application; yet, the composition of these antibiotics has not been elucidated. The aim of this paper is to isolate and identify these antibiotics.
Methods and Results:  The antagonistic activity of JA was tested in vitro ; it exhibited strong inhibition against some important phytopathogens and postharvest pathogens. Crude antibiotic production was extracted with methanol from the precipitate by adding 6 mol l⁻¹ HCl to the bacillus-free culture broth. The crude extract was run on Diamonsil C₁₈ column (5  μ m, 250 × 4·6 mm) in HPLC system to separate the antibiotics. Major antibiotics were classified into three lipopeptide families according to electrospray ionization–mass spectrometry analysis. Subsequently, the classification of antibiotics was confirmed with typical collision-induced dissociation fragments.
Conclusions:  Three kinds of antibiotics were isolated from B. subtilis JA and were identified to the lipopeptide families, surfactin, iturin and fengycin. These compounds could function as biocontrol agents against a large spectrum of pathogens.
Significance and Impact of the Study:  This study provided a reliable and rapid method for isolation and structural characterization of lipopeptide antibiotics from B. subtilis .     

枯草芽孢杆菌BI1产抗真菌脂肽培养条件的优化

采用Plackett—Burman设计对枯草芽孢杆茵BI1产抗菌脂肽培养条件中相关影响因素(即种龄、接种量和pH值)的效应进行评价并筛选出重要的影响因素,然后用Box-Behnken设计及响应面分析确定了重要影响因素的最佳条件,优化后的溶血透明圈直径达到17.5 mm,比优化前的13.75 mm提高了27.27%。     

Studies on lipopeptide biosynthesis by Bacillus subtilis: Isolation and characterization of iturin−, surfactin+ mutants

Abstract Two mutant strains, M35 and M89, were obtained by UV irradiation from a wild-type Bacillus subtilis producing iturin and surfactin. Sporulation and surfactin production were similar in both mutants and in the parent strain, while the iturin production of M35 was 300-fold less than that of the wild-type strain; M89 did not produce any iturin. The analysis of the incorporation of sodium [1-¹⁴C]acetate into cellular lipids and lipopeptides showed that M89 still synthesized β-amino fatty acids, the lipid moiety of iturin.     

Production of a lipopeptide antibiotic, surfactin, by recombinant Bacillus subtilis in solid state fermentation

Production of a lipopeptide antibiotic, surfactin, in solid state fermentation (SSF) on soybean curd residue, Okara, as a solid substrate was carried out using Bacillus subtilis MI113 with a recombinant plasmid pC112, which contains lpa-14, a gene related to surfactin production cloned at our laboratory from a wild-type surfactin producer, B. subtilis RB14. The optimal moisture content and temperature for the production of surfactin were 82% and 37 degrees C, respectively. The amount of surfactin produced by MI113 (pC112) was as high as 2.0 g/kg wet weight, which was eight times as high as that of the original B. subtilis RB14 at the optimal temperature for surfactin production, 30 degrees C. Although the stability of the plasmid showed a similar pattern in both SSF and submerged fermentation (SMF), production of surfactin in SSF was 4-5 times more efficient than in SMF. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effect of pps disruption and constitutive expression of srfA on surfactin productivity,spreading and antagonistic properties of Bacillus subtilis 168 derivatives

Aims: To analyse the effects of plipastatin operon disruption and constitutive expression of surfactin operon in Bacillus subtilis 168 on surfactin productivity, in vitro invasive growth and antagonism against fungi. Methods and Results: The srfA native promoter was replaced by the constitutive promoter P_repU in B. subtilis 168 after integration of a functional sfp gene. Moreover, the plipastatin synthesis was further disrupted in the B. subtilis 168 derivatives. In liquid media, an earlier and higher expression of P_repU, than that found with P_srfA, led to a specific surfactin production fivefold higher after 6 h of culture. On solid media, not only the invasive growth and the haemolytic activity but also the antifungal activity of the constitutive strains were improved when compared to the parental strain BBG111. As expected, the disruption of the plipastatin operon strongly reduced in vitro antifungal properties but, interestingly, enhanced specific surfactin production (1·47 g g^?1 of biomass), spreading behaviour and haemolytic activity of the strains. Conclusions: This work demonstrates for the first time the interdependency of surfactin and plipastatin regarding their biosynthesis as well as their influence on the biological activities of the producing strain. Significance and Impact of the Study: The constitutive overproduction of surfactin enhances the invasive growth and the in vitro antagonistic activity of the mutant strain. Both properties are known to play an important role in the biocontrol of plant diseases. Plipastatin operon disruption increases the surfactin productivity of mutant strains. These mutants are interesting for use in continuous bioprocesses for surfactin production or in bioremediation.     

高产表面活性素的重组枯草芽孢杆菌构建及培养优化

表面活性素是一种新型生物表面活性剂,因其具有良好的表面活性、可生物降解及抗菌活性,在石油开采、医药、农业和食品化妆品等领域具有广阔的应用前景。高产表面活性素菌株的获得和发酵过程优化是其商业化生产的关键。文中考察了脂肪酸合成途径对表面活性素合成的影响,强化脂肪酸生物合成关键基因以及该途径全部基因分别构建了高产表面活性素枯草芽孢杆菌BacillussubtilisTHBS-2和THBS-8,并对发酵过程中氨基酸种类及添加量、诱导剂异丙基-β-D-硫代半乳糖苷(IPTG)添加时间和添加量等条件对产物合成的影响进行考察,获得优化的两阶段前体添加方案:发酵3 h,加入IPTG和L-亮氨酸,使其终浓度分别为1.25 mmol/L、5 g/L;发酵24 h,添加L-亮氨酸(终浓度5 g/L)和浓缩培养基5 mL。优化条件下,枯草芽孢杆菌THBS-2摇瓶发酵48 h,表面活性素产量高达24 g/L;30 L发酵罐中发酵68 h,产物产量最高达到34 g/L。研究结果为表面活性素的工业化生产及应用奠定基础。     

Genetic evidence for a role of thioesterase domains, integrated in or associated with peptide synthetases, in non-ribosomal peptide biosynthesis in Bacillus subtilis

Next to almost all prokaryotic operons encoding peptide synthetases, which are involved in the nonribosomal synthesis of peptide antibiotics, distinct genes have been detected that encode proteins with strong sequence similarity to type II fatty acid thioesterases of vertebrate origin. Furthermore, sequence analysis of bacterial and fungal peptide synthetases has revealed a region at the C-terminal end of modules that are responsible for adding the last amino acid to the peptide antibiotics; that region also exhibits significant similarities to thioesterases. In order to investigate the function of these putative thioesterases in non-ribosomal peptide synthesis of the lipopeptide antibiotic surfactin in Bacillus subtilis, srfA fragments encoding the thioesterase domain of the surfactin synthetase 3 and the thioesterase-like protein SrfA-TE were deleted. This led to a 97 and 84% reduction of the in vivo surfactin production, respectively. In the double mutant, however, no surfaction production was detectable. These findings demonstrate for the first time that the C-terminal thioesterase domains and the SrfA-TE protein are directly involved in nonribosomal peptide biosynthesis. Received: 30 September 1997 / Accepted: 4 December 1997     

Isolation and structural analysis of bamylocin A, novel lipopeptide from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens LP03 having antagonistic and crude oil-emulsifying activity

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain LP03 isolated from soil, produced an antagonistic compound that strongly inhibited the growth of plant-pathogenic fungi and a lipopeptide biosurfactant. Also, isolated strain LP03 had a marked crude oil-emulsifying activity as it developed a clear zone around the colony after incubation for 24 h at 37°C. LP03 was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens by analysis of partial 16 S rRNA gene and partial gyrA gene sequence. The lipopeptide was purified by acid precipitation of cell-free culture broth, extraction of the precipitates with methanol, silica gel column chromatography, and reverse-phase, high-pressure liquid chromatography. The purified biosurfactant was analyzed biochemical structure by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). The masses of the two peaks were observed by HPLC chromatography. Their masses were determined to be 1,044 and 1,058 m/z with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. As constituents of the peptide and lipophilic part of the m/z 1,022.6, seven amino acids (Glu-Leu-Met-Leu-Pro-Leu-Leu) and β-hydroxy-C13 fatty acid were determined by ESI-MS/MS. The lipopeptide of 1,022.6 Da differed from surfactins in the substitution of leucine, valine and aspartic acid in positions 3, 4, and 5 by methionine, leucine, and proline, respectively. Novel lipopeptide was designated as bamylocin A.     

The effect of Bacillus subtilis producing Surfactin in ROS production and transformation efficiency of tobacco cells

Surfactin secreted by bacilli has biological functions in plant. Surfactin C14 and C15 have the highest effect on inducing hydrogen peroxide species release in the plant. Surfactin production in the two Bacillus strains ACCT21332 and FKR3 were analysed by HPLC and the phytotoxicity of the Bacilli-derived surfactins was determined in Tobacco cell culture. Surfactin C14 and C15 were detected in ACCT21332 but not in FKR3 strain. Extracellular hydrogen peroxide produced by tobacco cell culture cells exposed to ATCC21332 and FKR3 strains increased compared to untreated ones. The Agrobacterium mediated transformation rate of tobacco cells drops from 4% transformed cells to 0.8 and 1.2% when pretreated with ATCC21332 or FKR3 strain, respectively. The strong drop in transformation rate of plant cell culture after FKR3 strain pre-treatment indicates that Surfactin C14 and C15 are not the major or the only cause in protecting plant cells from Agrobacterial infection and transformation.     

一株枯草芽孢杆菌的分离鉴定、生物学特性及其对水质净化的作用

[背景]随着水产养殖业的发展和养殖集约化程度的提高,养殖水环境日趋恶化,养殖动物病害频发,而水产益生菌因其环境友好、安全而被广泛应用于水产养殖中.[目的]从南美白对虾养殖池底泥分离枯草芽孢杆菌,探究其体外生物学特性及对水质的净化作用,以期扩充微生态制剂的种质资源.[方法]采用稀释涂布平板法分离菌株,通过形态学观察、生理...     

巨大芽孢杆菌青霉素酰化酶在枯草杆菌中的表达及其分离纯化

青霉素酰化酶（ＰＧＡ）在医药工业起着重要的作用,它能够水解青霉素Ｇ产生６－氨基青霉烷酸（６－ＡＰＡ）和苯乙酸,６－ＡＰＡ是半合成青霉素的关键中间体．该酶广泛存在于各种微生物中如真菌和细菌中．国际上对Ｅ．ｃｏｌｉ、Ａｒｔｈｒｏｂａｃｔｅｒｖｉｓｃｏｓｕ...     

Isolation and characterization of Bacillus subtilis KS1 for the biocontrol of grapevine fungal diseases

Bacillus subtilis KS1 was isolated from grape berry skin as a biological control agent against grapevine fungal diseases. KS1 was identified as a new strain of B. subtilis according to morphological, biochemical, and genetic analyses. In vitro bioassay demonstrated that KS1 suppressed the growth of Botrytis cinerea (the casual agent of grape grey mold) and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (the casual agent of grape ripe rot). The biocontrol activity of KS1 against grapevine fungal diseases in vineyards was evaluated over a 3-year span (from 2007 to 2009). Downy mildew, caused by Plasmopara viticola, was reduced on berry skins and leaves by treatment with KS1. The KS1 genome possesses ituD and lpa-14 genes, both of which play a role in iturin A production followed by iturin A production in the culture. In contrast, mutants lacking both genes lost the antagonistic activity against B. cinerea and C. gloeosporioides and the activity in iturin A production, suggesting that the antagonistic activity of KS1 against grapevine fungal pathogens may depend on iturin A production. As KS1 showed tolerance to various chemical pesticides, chemical pesticides could be applied before and/or after KS1 treatment in vineyards. Due to its potential as a biological control agent against grape downy mildew, KS1 is expected to contribute to the further improvement of integrated pest management systems and to potentially reduce the amount of chemical fungicides applied in vineyards.     

Cry1Ac基因载体构建及其在枯草芽孢杆菌中的杀虫活性表达

根据苏云金芽孢杆菌Bacillus thuringiensis HD-73基因Cry1Ac和枯草芽孢杆菌Bacillus subtilis木糖诱导型启动子PxylR序列, 分别设计2对特异引物Cry1Ac F/R和Pxy F/R,扩增获得了完整的启动子PxylR和Cry1Ac基因序列,进一步以上述产物混合物为模板,以Pxy F/Cry1Ac R作引物进行重迭PCR,获得了载体PxylR-Cry1Ac,经SphⅠ和BamHⅠ完全酶切后,将PxylR-Cry1Ac插入大肠杆菌-苏云金芽孢杆菌穿梭载体pHT315,重组表达质粒pCry1Ac315转化枯草芽孢杆菌感受态细胞。工程菌株质粒酶切电泳分析、SDS-PAGE电泳分析和杀虫生物活性测定结果证实了Cry1Ac基因的导入及其在枯草芽孢杆菌JAAS01D中的有效表达。     

枯草芽孢杆菌WHNB02植酸酶的酶学性质研究

从118份样品中分离到1株产植酸酶的枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis,WHNB02),其发酵液经乙醇沉淀、硫酸铵分级沉淀及Sephadex G-100柱层析等步骤后分离纯化了该酶,纯化倍数约为31.5倍,回收率为13.0%。该酶为单体酶,SDS-PAGE测得的分子量约为43ku,以植酸钠为底物的Km值为0.5mmol/L,酶反应的最适温度为60℃,80℃作用10min酶活保存61%,最适pH为7.0,在pH6.0~10.0范围内稳定,酶活性及稳定性都需Ca2 存在。EDTA、Mn2 、Ba2 (5mmol/L)对酶活具有很大的抑制作用。