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The extreme weather conditions in the Antarctic have exerted selective pressures favoring differential features in bacteria to survive this untapped environment (i.e., antibiotic molecules). Notably, higher chances of antibiotic discovery from extremophiles have been proposed recently. Although new organic and environmentally friendly sources for helping in the control of plant pathogenic fungi are necessary, the information about anti-phytopathogenic applications of extremophile microorganisms from untapped environments is limited. In this study, we determined the antifungal effect of actinobacterial strains isolated from Antarctic soils and sediments. Co-culture inhibition assays and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) determination revealed that all Antarctic strains (x28) can inhibit the growth of at least one phytopathogenic fungi including Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis sp. and Phytophthora infestans. Additionally, new novel antagonistic relationships are reported. Our work establishes a precedent on Antarctic actinobacteria strains with the capacity to produce antifungal compounds, and its potential for developing new fungicides or biocontrol agents solving current agriculture problems. RESUMEN Las condiciones climáticas extremas en la Antártica han ejercido presiones selectivas en las bacterias, de forma que éstas poseen características diferenciales (ej. moléculas antibióticas) que les permiten sobrevivir a este entorno poco explorado. Recientemente se ha propuesto que pueden existir mayores posibilidades para el descubrimiento de antibióticos a partir de extremófilos. A pesar de que son necesarias nuevas fuentes orgánicas y amigables con el medio ambiente para controlar los hongos patógenos en plantas, la información sobre las aplicaciones anti-fitopatogénicas de microorganismos extremófilos, de ambientes poco explorados, es limitada. En este estudio, se determinó el efecto antifúngico de actinobacterias aisladas de suelos y sedimentos antárticos. Mediante ensayos de inhibición en co-cultivo y determinación de la concentración mínima inhibitoria (CIM) se reveló que todas las cepas antárticas (x28) tienen la capacidad de inhibir el crecimiento de al menos un hongo fitopatógeno, incluyendo Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis sp. y Phytophthora infestans. Adicionalmente, se reportan nuevas relaciones antagónicas. Nuestro trabajo establece un precedente sobre cepas de actinobacterias antárticas con capacidad para la producción de compuestos antifúngicos y su potencial para el desarrollo de nuevos fungicidas o agentes de control biológico con el fin de resolver problemas actuales de la agricultura.

This study aims to describe the antibacterial and cytotoxic properties of a nanocomposite composed of silver chloride and silver nanoparticles (AgCl/Ag) biogenically synthesized using Arthrobacter sp., a non-pathogenic Antarctic soil bacterium. Spherical nanoparticles (hydrodynamic size of 42 nm) coated with biomolecules derived from Arthrobacter sp. were obtained. The antibacterial activity of the nanocomposite was demonstrated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains, including the multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa KPC 37. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of AgCl/Ag nanocomposite was evaluated against the non-tumoral (Vero) and tumoral (SW-1353) cell lines. The nanocomposite was not cytotoxic to the Vero cells at concentrations below 150 μg/mL, whereas at concentrations above 25 μg/mL, a significant cytotoxic effect was observed for the SW-1353 cells. Interestingly, at 150 μg/mL, the nanocomposite demonstrated a potent antibacterial activity for all bacterial strains evaluated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the green synthesis of AgCl/Ag nanocomposite by the bacterium Arthrobacter sp. isolated from Antarctic soil. The obtained nanocomposite may find important biomedical applications, with potent antibacterial and antitumoral effects and low toxicity to healthy cells.

Antarctic have been suggested as an attractive source for antibiotics discovery and members of Streptomyces genus have historically been studied as natural producers of antimicrobial metabolites. Nonetheless, our knowledge on antibiotic-producing Streptomyces from Antarctic is very limited. In this study, the antimicrobial activity of organic extracts from Antarctic Streptomyces strains was evaluated by disk diffusion assays and minimum inhibitory concentration. The strain Streptomyces sp. So13.3 showed the greatest antibiotic activity (MIC = 15.6 μg/mL) against Gram-positive bacteria and growth reduction of Gram‒negative pathogens. The bioactive fraction in the crude extract was revealed by TLC‒bioautography at Rf = 0.78 with molecular weight between 148 and 624 m/z detected by LC-ESI-MS/MS. The strain So13.3 was taxonomically affiliated as Streptomyces fildesensis. Whole genome sequencing and analysis suggested a 9.47 Mb genome size with 42 predicted biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) and 56 putative clusters representing a 22% of total genome content. Interestingly, a large number of them (11 of 42 BGCs and 40 of 56 putative BGCs), did not show similarities with other known BGCs. Our results highlight the potential of the Antarctic Streptomyces strains as a promising source of novel antimicrobials, particularly the strain Streptomyces fildesensis So13.3, which first draft genome is reported in this work.

Biosurfactants, a wide group of compounds produced by different microorganisms, generally have less toxicity and are more biodegradable than synthetic surfactants. Biosurfactant-producing bacteria can be found in contaminated environments, such as soils receiving pesticide applications constantly, or in pesticides treatment systems where microorganisms are adapted to biodegrading pesticides. Five pesticide-tolerant bacteria previously isolated from a pesticide biopurification system were evaluated as biosurfactant-producers. Pseudomonas rhodesiae C4, Rhodococcus jialingiae C8 and Pseudomonas marginalis C9 strains were positive in qualitative tests. Biosurfactant production by these strains using Bushnell-Haas medium with olive oil at 2% (w/v) was evaluated as emulsification index, oil displacement, droplet collapse test and surface tension. After 144 h, these strains showed a similar emulsification index of >55%. The two Pseudomonas (C4 and C9) strains showed lower superficial tension compared with Rhodococcus strain (C8)—34.47, 37.44 and 47.55 mN/m for strains C4, C9 and C8, respectively. The chemical characterization of the biosurfactants revealed the presence of glycolipids in P. rhodesiae (C4) and glycopeptides in P. marginalis (C9). The degradation of chlorpyrifos increased from 39.2% to 51.6% when biosurfactants produced by P.rhodesiae (C4) were added (10%) with respect to the control. Therefore, biopurification systems are a relevant source of biosurfactant-producing bacteria with environmental biotechnology applications.

In this study, we selected and characterized different pesticide-tolerant bacteria isolated from a biomixture of a biopurification system that had received continuous applications of a pesticides mixture. The amplicon analysis of biomixture reported that the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria were predominant. Six strains grew in the presence of chlorpyrifos and iprodione. Biochemical characterization showed that all isolates were positive for esterase, acid phosphatase, among others, and they were identified as Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus and Achromobacter based on molecular and proteomic analysis. Bacterial growth decreased as both pesticide concentrations increased from 10 to 100 mg L-1 in liquid culture. The Achromobacter sp. strain C1 showed the best chlorpyrifos removal rate of 0.072-0.147 d-1 a half-life of 4.7-9.7 d and a maximum metabolite concentration of 2.10 mg L-1 at 120 h. On the other hand, Pseudomonas sp. strain C9 showed the highest iprodione removal rate of 0.100-0.193 d-1 a half-life of 4-7 d and maximum metabolite concentration of 0.95 mg L-1 at 48 h. The Achromobacter and Pseudomonas strains showed a good potential as chlorpyrifos and iprodione-degrading bacteria.

The development of novel biological products, such as enzymes, dyes, antibiotics, and others with high potential use for biotechnological applications, continues to stimulate the search for microorganisms in extreme environments. In recent years, the study of Antarctic ecosystems and their microorganisms has received more attention because psychrophilic microorganisms—mainly bacteria and their enzymes—have assumed considerable importance for biotechnological applications. In this study, we characterized a collection of 30 culturable Actinobacteria isolated from the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, in order to relate their distribution and ability to produce extracellular enzymes with their biotechnological potential. The isolates belonged to eight genus in the phylum Actinobacteria: Arthrobacter, Brevibacterium, Curtobacterium, Janibacter, Knoellia, Rhodococcus, Streptomyces and Thermoleophilum. The screening for biologically active products showed that all the evaluated strains produced at least one extracellular enzyme at 4 °C, with protease, gelatinase and cellulase enzymes being the most common. In conclusion, our data showed that various Antarctic ecosystems are good sources for isolating cultivable Actinobacteria. Furthermore, these bacteria provide high-quality biological material for screening cold-active enzymes that have potential biotechnological applications and economic benefits.

The present study aimed to identify novel microbial producers of bioemulsificant compounds from Antarctic soils. Fifty-nine microbial strains were isolated from five different locations at South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, and screened for biosurfactant production by β-hemolytic activity. Strain So 3.2 was determined as bioemulsifier-producer and identified by phenotypic and molecular characterization as Streptomyces luridus. Emulsification activity, oil displacement method and drop-collapsing test were performed to evaluate the biosurfactant activity with different oils and hydrocarbons using two different culture media (Luria Bertani and Bushnell Haas in the presence of different carbon sources: glucose, glycerol, olive oil and n-Hexadecane). Cell free supernatant of Bushnell Haas culture supplemented with n-Hexadecane showed the best results for all tests. Emulsification of hydrocarbons exceeded 60%, reaching up to 90% on oil with high API grade, while displacement tests ranged from 8 cm to 4 cm in diameter according the culture media and tested oils. Our results revealed that Streptomyces luridus So3.2 is able to produce bioemulsifiers capable of emulsifying hydrocarbons and oils, which could be used in different biotechnological applications, particularly for bioremediation of environments contaminated by oil leaks.