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A lipopeptide-producing endophytic Bacillus methyltrophicus TEB1 strain exhibited potent antifungal activity against Phoma tracheiphila. Lipopeptide production started at the early growth phase plateaued after 36 h of culture where it reduced the mycelium growth by 80%. The crude lipopeptide extract harvested at the stationary phase efficiently inhibited the growth of P. tracheiphila mycelium and MIC values displaying 50 and 90% inhibition of conidia germination were around 47.5 and 100 μg ml(-1) , respectively. Increasing lipopeptide extract till 3 mg ml(-1) induced 10% swelling and 3% crumbling of P. tracheiphila conidia whereas 5 mg ml(-1) induced 40% swelling and 20% crumbling. Mass spectrometry analysis of the lipopeptide extract indicated that surfactin production took place from 12 to 20 h, iturin A from 16 to 72 h, and fengycin from 12 to 72 h and that the main active compound against P. tracheiphila was identified as C15 iturin A lipopeptide. Iturin A appeared as a potential biological control agent able to substitute the currently used chemical pesticides in agriculture., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Among nine chitinase-producing strains isolated from Tunisian soil, one isolate called S213 exhibited a potent chitinolytic activity. S213 strain was identified as Bacillus licheniformis by API 50CH system and sequence analysis of its partial 16S ribosomal DNA. Chitinolytic activity was induced either by colloidal chitin or fungal cell walls, and the highest chitinase activity reached at the late stationary phase exhibiting optimal temperature and pH of 50-60 °C and pH 6.0, respectively. SDS-PAGE analysis of the secreted colloidal chitin-induced proteins showed a major protein of about 65 kDa. This protein was identified as chitinase on the basis of its peptide sequences which displayed high homology with chitinase sequence of B. licheniformis ATCC 14580. Moreover, chitinolytic activity containing supernatant inhibited the growth of several phytopathogenic fungi including Phoma medicaginis. Interestingly, S213 strain reduced efficiently the damping-off disease caused by P. medicaginis in Medicago truncatula and should be envisaged in enzyme-based biopesticides against phytopathogen application.

In the present study, we evaluated the antioxidant and the scavenging ability of C14, C15 and C16 bacillomycin D-like lipopeptides produced by B38 strain. They all displayed strong reducing power activity, hydroxyl and superoxide anion radicals scavenging activities and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. In addition, they were found to protect plasmid DNA damage from hydroxyl radical oxidation. Data suggested that their antioxidant potency can be attributed to the hydrophobic and aromatic side-chain groups of their amino acids as well as to the aliphatic chain of their beta amino fatty acids. Note that the hydrocarbon chain length did not interfere with the antioxidant power. Overall, such bacillomycin D lipopeptides which exhibit antioxidant and radical scavenging activities may be useful for cosmetic, therapeutic or pharmaceutical purposes in order to delay or prevent oxidative deterioration of manufactured products.

When cultured in minimal growth medium, the B38 strain of Bacillus subtilis did not exhibit any antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clinical isolate. Coculturing B38 strain with viable MRSA cells weakly increased antibacterial activity production (20 AU/ml). Addition of dead MRSA cells in a B38 culture, increased by 8-fold the B. subtilis strain antibacterial activity reaching 160 AU/ml against MRSA strain. This antibacterial activity recovered from cell-free supernatants was stimulated by an autoinducing compound which is sensitive to the action of proteinase K suggesting a proteinaceous nature. This compound was heat-stable till 80 °C and showed a molecular mass around 20 kDa as determined by SDS-PAGE. These results suggest that the production of antibacterial compounds by B38 strain is dependent on the amount of the autoinducing compound.

An antimicrobial activity produced by Bacillus subtilis B38 was found to be effective against several bacteria, including pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms such as, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enteridis, and clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus species. Nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen sources, and inorganic salts enhanced the production level of the antibacterial activity by B. subtilis B38. A first screening step showed that lactose, ammonium succinate, and manganese most influenced both cell growth and antibacterial activity production. These three factors varied at two levels in eight experiments using full factorial design. Results indicated that maximum cell growth (OD = 10.2) and maximum production of antibacterial activity (360 AU/mL) were obtained in a modified medium containing 1.5% (w/v) lactose, 0.15% (w/v) ammonium succinate, and 0.3 mg/L manganese. Depending on the indicator strain used, the antibacterial activity was 2- to 4-fold higher in the modified culture medium than in TSB medium under the same conditions. Thin layer chromatography-bioautography assay showed the presence of three active spots with R(f) values of 0.47, 0.7, and 0.82 in TSB medium. However, the inhibition zone of two spots (R(f) values of 0.7 and 0.82) was slightly larger in the modified medium. Moreover, a large zone of inhibition with an R(f) value of 0.3, was observed in this modified medium, instead of the spot having an R(f) value of 0.47. These results suggest that the nutrients act as environmental factors, quantitatively and qualitatively affecting the production of antibacterial compounds by B. subtilis B38., (2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol.)