Mycosubtilin Overproduction by Bacillus subtilis BBG100 Enhances the Organism's Antagonistic and Biocontrol Activities

A Bacillus subtilis derivative was obtained from strain ATCC 6633 by replacement of the native promoter of the mycosubtilin operon by a constitutive promoter originating from the replication gene repU of the Staphylococcus aureus plasmid pUB110. The recombinant strain, designated BBG100, produced up to 15-fold more mycosubtilin than the wild type produced. The overproducing phenotype was related to enhancement of the antagonistic activities against several yeasts and pathogenic fungi. Hemolytic activities were also clearly increased in the modified strain. Mass spectrometry analyses of enriched mycosubtilin extracts showed similar patterns of lipopeptides for BBG100 and the wild type. Interestingly, these analyses also revealed a new form of mycosubtilin which was more easily detected in the BBG100 sample. When tested for its biocontrol potential, wild-type strain ATCC 6633 was almost ineffective for reducing a Pythium infection of tomato seedlings. However, treatment of seeds with the BBG100 overproducing strain resulted in a marked increase in the germination rate of seeds. This protective effect afforded by mycosubtilin overproduction was also visualized by the significantly greater fresh weight of emerging seedlings treated with BBG100 compared to controls or seedlings inoculated with the wild-type strain.     

Isolation and characterization of antagonistic Bacillus subtilis strains from the avocado rhizoplane displaying biocontrol activity

AIM: This study was undertaken to isolate Bacillus subtilis strains with biological activity against soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi from the avocado rhizoplane. METHODS AND RESULTS: A collection of 905 bacterial isolates obtained from the rhizoplane of healthy avocado trees, contains 277 gram-positive isolates. From these gram-positive isolates, four strains, PCL1605, PCL1608, PCL1610 and PCL1612, identified as B. subtilis, were selected on the basis of their antifungal activity against diverse soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi. Analysis of the antifungal compounds involved in their antagonistic activity showed that these strains produced hydrolytic enzymes such as glucanases or proteases and the antibiotic lipopeptides surfactin, fengycin, and/or iturin A. In biocontrol trials using the pathosystems tomato/Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. radicis-lycopersici and avocado/Rosellinia necatrix, two B. subtilis strains, PCL1608 and PCL1612, both producing iturin A, exhibited the highest biocontrol and colonization capabilities. CONCLUSIONS: Diverse antagonistic B. subtilis strains isolated from healthy avocado rhizoplanes have shown promising biocontrol abilities, which are closely linked with the production of antifungal lipopeptides and good colonization aptitudes. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is one of the few reports dealing with isolation and characterization of B. subtilis strains with biocontrol activity against the common soil-borne phytopathogenic fungi F. oxysporum f.sp. radicis-lycopersici and R. necatrix.     

Secretory overproduction of the aminopeptidase from Bacillus licheniformis by a novel hybrid promoter in Bacillus subtilis

Bacillus licheniformis aminopeptidase (BAP) was overexpressed in B. subtilis using a novel expression vector carrying a hybrid promoter, BJ27UP, which was constructed from a strong promoter BJ27Δ88 and a fragment of the tac promoter. When added upstream of the BJ27Δ88 promoter, the tac fragment (including the -10 box) improved the promoter activity of the BJ27Δ88 promoter by approximately threefold. The hybrid promoter, BJ27UP, allowed overexpression of BAP in B. subtilis, and over 95% of the produced BAP was secreted into the culture medium, whereas in E. coli, BAP was poorly expressed, despite the use of the T7 expression system. The volumetric production of BAP mediated by the hybrid promoter BJ27UP was reproducibly over 9.0 U/ml in Luria–Bertani medium after cultivation for 12 h, representing a 20-fold increase over that of the endogenous promoter of the bap gene. Due to its high-yield secretion, the recombinant BAP was purified using a simple inexpensive purification method consisting of ammonium sulfate fractionation and Q-Sepharose column chromatography.     

Formulation development of the biocontrol agent Bacillus subtilis strain CPA-8 by spray-drying

Aims: To prepare commercially acceptable formulations of Bacillus subtilis CPA‐8 by spray‐drying with long storage life and retained efficacy to control peach and nectarine brown rot caused by Monilinia spp. Methods and Results: CPA‐8 24‐h‐ and 72‐h‐old cultures were spray dried using 10% skimmed milk, 10% skimmed milk plus 10% MgSO₄, 10% MgSO₄ and 20% MgSO₄ as carriers/protectants. All carriers/protectants gave good percentages of powder recovery (28–38%) and moisture content (7–13%). CPA‐8 survival varied considerably among spray‐dried 24‐h‐ and 72‐h‐old cultures. Seventy‐two hours culture spray dried formulations showed the highest survival (28–32%) with final concentration products of 1·6–3·3 × 10⁹ CFU g^?1, while viability of 24‐h‐old formulations was lower than 1%. Spray‐dried 72‐h‐old formulations were selected to subsequent evaluation. Rehydration of cells with water provided a good recovery of CPA‐8 dried cells, similar to other complex rehydration media tested. Spray‐dried formulations stored at 4 ± 1 and 20 ± 1°C showed good shelf life during 6 months, and viability was maintained or slightly decreased by 0·2–0·3‐log. CPA‐8 formulations after 4‐ and 6 months storage were effective in controlling brown rot caused by Monilinia spp. on nectarines and peaches resulting in a 90–100% reduction in disease incidence. Conclusions: Stable and effective formulations of biocontrol agent B. subtilis CPA‐8 could be obtained by spray‐drying. Significance and Impact of the Study: New shelf‐stable and effective formulations of a biocontrol agent have been obtained by spray‐drying to control brown rot on peach.     

向日葵枯萎病拮抗芽胞杆菌的筛选与生防评价

目的 筛选向日葵枯萎病拮抗芽胞杆菌菌株并研究其抗菌谱,探讨环境条件对菌株抑菌活性的影响并通过植物栽培完成生防评价。 方法 从向日葵根际土壤中选择性分离芽胞杆菌,通过5点对峙法确定1株高效拮抗菌株,进行鉴定后,测定其抑菌谱;单因素实验探讨环境条件对抑菌活性的影响;向日葵发芽实验完成生防评价。 结果 确定1株高效的枯萎病拮抗菌株WBFL-1,经鉴定为枯草芽胞杆菌,该菌对镰刀菌属具有广谱抗性,其抑菌活性的最佳条件是温度40 ℃,pH值7.0,接种量150 μL,发酵时间48 h。生防评价表明该菌对枯萎病的拮抗效果显著。 结论 该菌可为农作物枯萎病的生物防治提供有效菌种储备。     

Cannibalism enhances biofilm development in Bacillus subtilis

Cannibalism is a mechanism to delay sporulation in Bacillus subtilis. Cannibal cells express the skf and sdp toxin systems to lyse a fraction of their sensitive siblings. The lysed cells release nutrients that serve to feed the community, effectively delaying spore formation. Here we provide evidence that the subpopulation of cells that differentiates into cannibals is the same subpopulation that produces the extracellular matrix that holds cells together in biofilms. Cannibalism and matrix formation are both triggered in response to the signalling molecule surfactin. Nutrients released by the cannibalized cells are preferentially used by matrix-producing cells, as they are the only cells expressing resistance to the Skf and Sdp toxins. As a result this subpopulation increases in number and matrix production is enhanced when cannibalism toxins are produced. The cannibal/matrix-producing subpopulation is also generated in response to antimicrobials produced by other microorganisms and may thus constitute a defense mechanism to protect B. subtilis from the action of antibiotics in natural settings.     

Involvement of fengycin-type lipopeptides in the multifaceted biocontrol potential of Bacillus subtilis

In this work, the potential of Bacillus subtilis strain M4 at protecting plants against fungal diseases was demonstrated in different pathosystems. We provide evidence for the role of secreted lipopeptides, and more particularly of fengycins, in the protective effect afforded by the strain against damping-off of bean seedlings caused by Pythium ultimum and against gray mold of apple in post-harvest disease. This role was demonstrated by the strong biocontrol activity of lipopeptide-enriched extracts and through the detection of inhibitory quantities of fengycins in infected tissues. Beside such a direct antagonism of the pathogen, we show that root pre-inoculation with M4 enabled the host plant to react more efficiently to subsequent pathogen infection on leaves. Fengycins could also be involved in this systemic resistance-eliciting effect of strain M4, as these molecules may induce the synthesis of plant phenolics involved in or derived from the defense-related phenylpropanoid metabolism. Much remains to be discovered about the mechanisms by which Bacillus spp suppress disease. Through this study on strain M4, we reinforce the interest in B. subtilis as a pathogen antagonist and plant defense-inducing agent. The secretion of cyclic fengycin-type lipopeptides may be tightly related to the expression of these two biocontrol traits.     

Alteration of the Bacillus subtilis glutamine synthetase results in overproduction of the enzyme.

A mutational leading to glutamine auxotrophy was located near a 5-fluorouracil resistance marker in the citB-thyA region of the Bacillus subtilis chromosome. This mutation resulted in a glutamine synthetase with altered kinetic and feedback properties. The specific activity of manganese-stimulated glutamine synthetase activity in crude extracts was 18-fold higher, and the magnesium-stimulated activity was about 30% that of the wild type. Quantitation of the enzyme by precipitation with antibody prepared against pure enzyme confirmed the presence of high enzyme levels in the mutant. This mutation is very closely linked (recombination index of 0.03) to another glutamine auxotroph containing enzyme with altered electrophoretic and heat sensitivity properties. Mutations in the structural gene for glutamine synthetase may result not only in altered catalytic and regulatory properties but also in altered production of the enzyme.     

High-Level Biosynthesis of the Anteiso-C17 Isoform of the Antibiotic Mycosubtilin in Bacillus subtilis and Characterization of Its Candidacidal Activity

High-level production (880 mg liter⁻¹) and isolation of the anteiso-C₁₇ isoform of the lipopeptide mycosubtilin produced by a genetically engineered Bacillus subtilis strain are reported. Antifungal activity of this isoform, as determined via culture and fluorometric and cell leakage assays, suggests its potential therapeutic use as an antifungal agent, in particular against Candida spp.The soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 synthesizes the lipopeptides mycosubtilin and surfactin via a so-called nonribosomal peptide synthetase. Mycosubtilin belongs to the iturin family and is composed of seven α-amino acids linked to a unique C₁₆ or C₁₇ β-amino fatty acid with a linear or branched (iso or anteiso) acyl chain (15). This amphiphilic structure confers interesting biological properties on this secondary metabolite, particularly antifungal activity, which increases with the number of carbon atoms of the acyl chain (10). However, studies and applications of mycosubtilin are compromised by limited production by the native producer, cosynthesis of surfactin, and the existence of different mycosubtilin homologues and isoforms. In this work, utilization of specific precursors together with appropriate culture conditions for a genetically engineered strain led to the synthesis of a large amount of the most biologically active mycosubtilin homologue. Structural characterizations by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy demonstrated that this homologue corresponds to the anteiso-C₁₇ isoform. Its antifungal activity against pathogenic Candida spp. was examined by MIC determination, fluorescence spectroscopy, and leakage experiments.Overproduction of mycosubtilin in B. subtilis ATCC 6633 was obtained by replacement of the native promoter of the myc operon, which encodes mycosubtilin synthetase, by the strong and tightly regulated xylA promoter from the Bacillus megaterium xylose isomerase (16). To this end, a repressor-promoter xylR-pxylA fragment was PCR amplified from pAXO1 (9) with Pfu DNA polymerase (Promega) and primers R100 and R101 before being cloned at the HincII site of pBG103 to yield pBG113 (Tables ​(Tables11 and ​and2).2). Then, a spectinomycin resistance cassette was rescued from pRFB122 by PstI/EagI digestion and inserted into pBG113 at the corresponding site to yield pBG113s (Table ​(Table1).1). This construct was used to transform B. subtilis ATCC 6633 as previously described (8), and transformants were selected on Luria-Bertani plates supplemented with spectinomycin (100 μg/ml). Correct integration in the resulting RFB107 strain was verified by analytical PCR using primers R102 and R103 (Table ​(Table2).2). In a second step, the srf operon, encoding surfactin synthetase, was disrupted in RFB107 to render the strain unable to synthesize surfactin. The knockout was targeted downstream of the comS regulator involved in competence mechanisms, which lies nested and out of frame within the srf operon (6, 7). The disruption cassette was obtained by a ligation-mediated PCR method (12) as follows. Fragments of srfAB and srfAD open reading frames were PCR amplified (primer pairs R106 and R107 and R108 and R109, respectively) from B. subtilis ATCC 6633 genomic DNA (obtained with the Wizard genomic DNA purification kit; Promega) while the erythromycin resistance cassette (ERY) of pDML1567 was amplified with primers R110 and R111. PCR fragments (200 ng) were digested with SfiI, purified with the GFX purification kit (GE Healthcare), and ligated with T4 DNA ligase (Promega) before being used as a template for PCR amplification using primers R106 and R109. The resulting srfAB-ERY-srfAD cassette was then used to transform B. subtilis RFB107, and transformants were selected on Luria-Bertani erythromycin (1 μg/ml) plates. Integration by a double-crossing event in the resulting strain RFB112 was verified by analytical PCR using primers R104 and R105 (Table ​(Table1)1) and by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry analysis of the purified culture supernatant as described elsewhere (14).

TABLE 1.

Plasmids and Bacillus strains used in this study

Genotypic and phenotypic differentiation of an antifungal biocontrol strain belonging to Bacillus subtilis

Physiological and molecular fingerprints of biotechnologically relevant rhizobacteria are necessary for registration, patenting, recognition and quality checking of the strains. To characterize the biological control agent, Bacillus subtilis B2g, the strain was compared with other plant-associated B. subtilis isolates. Phenotypic characterization included biochemical and nutritional properties, in vitro activity and analysis of potential antagonistic mechanisms towards several plant pathogenic fungi. According to the phenotypic characteristics, it was not possible to differentiate the biocontrol agent from the other strains, although the enzymatic fingerprint was unique. Genotypic diversity among the isolates was characterized by molecular fingerprinting methods using REP-PCR (repetitive extragenomic palindromic PCR), and macrorestriction of genomic DNA and electrophoretic separation of DNA fragments by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). A protocol for PFGE analysis using restriction enzyme SfiI for B. subtilis was developed. PFGE typing of B. subtilis B2g resulted in a unique fingerprint. Therefore, it was possible to differentiate B. subtilis B2g, the biocontrol agent of Phytovit, from other antifungal B. subtilis isolates.     

Bacillus subtilis RecU Holliday-junction resolvase modulates RecA activities

The Bacillus subtilis RecU protein is able to catalyze in vitro DNA strand annealing and Holliday-junction resolution. The interaction between the RecA and RecU proteins, in the presence or absence of a single-stranded binding (SSB) protein, was studied. Substoichiometric amounts of RecU enhanced RecA loading onto single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and stimulated RecA-catalyzed D-loop formation. However, RecU inhibited the RecA-mediated three-strand exchange reaction and ssDNA-dependent dATP or rATP hydrolysis. The addition of an SSB protein did not reverse the negative effect exerted by RecU on RecA function. Annealing of circular ssDNA and homologous linear 3′-tailed double-stranded DNA by RecU was not affected by the addition of RecA both in the presence and in the absence of SSB. We propose that RecU modulates RecA activities by promoting RecA-catalyzed strand invasion and inhibiting RecA-mediated branch migration, by preventing RecA filament disassembly, and suggest a potential mechanism for the control of resolvasome assembly.     

CcpA mutants with differential activities in Bacillus subtilis

CcpA is the master regulator for carbon catabolite regulation in Bacillus subtilis and regulates more than 300 genes by repression or activation. To revealthe effects of different functional domains of CcpA on various regulatory modes, we compared the activities of CcpA point mutants in activation (alsS, ackA) and repression (xynP, gntR). CcpA variants mutated at residues in the HPrSerP-binding region without allosteric functions are inactive. On the other hand, CcpA variants mutated at residues that change their conformation upon HPrSerP or CrhP binding regulate only ackA. Another set of mutants with alterations in the corepressor-binding region show glucose-independent regulation of xynP. The data presented here demonstrate the involvement of HPrSerP and/or CrhP in activation of ackA and alsS by CcpA. Furthermore, these data also indicate that activation and repression mediated by CcpA may utilize different conformational changes of the protein.     

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.     

Production of fungal cell wall degrading enzymes by a biocontrol strain of Bacillus subtilis AF 1

Fungal cell wall degrading chitinases and glucanases attained significance in agriculture, medicine, and environment management. The present study was conducted to describe the optimum conditions required for the production of beta-1,4-N-acetyl glucosaminidase (NAGase) and beta-1,3-glucanase by a biocontrol strain of Bacillus subtilis AF 1. B. subtilis AF 1 was grown in minimal medium with colloidal chitin (3.0%) and yeast extract (0.3% YE ) and incubated at pH 7.0 and 30 degrees C on constant shaker at 180 rpm for 6 days produced highest amounts of NAGase. Presence of 0.5 mM of phenyl methyl sulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) and 0.04% of Tween 20 further improved the enzyme production. B. subtilis AF 1 grown in minimal medium with laminarin (1%) and yeast extract (0.3%) for 3 days produced maximum amount of beta-1,3-glucanase. These conditions can be further scaled-up for large-scale production of NAGase and beta-1,3-glucanase by B. subtilis AF 1.