Studies on the biosynthesis of beta-amino acids, the lipid moiety of iturins A, in Bacillus subtilis

Kinetic analysis on precursors for iturin A production from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens BPD1

In this study, the precursor effect for iturin A production was quantitatively analyzed. A strain identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens BPD1 (Ba-BPD1) was selected due to its ability to produce iturin A. The enhancement of iturin A production in a submerged culture was tested using various additives, including palmitic acid, oils, and complex amino acids. Among these, complex amino acids triggered the highest yield at 559 mg/L. The respective amino acids that contribute to the structure of iturin A were used as precursors. In fact, it was found that the addition of l-proline, l-glutamine, l-asparagine and l-serine could improve iturin A yield in the defined medium. However, during the kinetic analysis, all the amino acids exhibited a lower saturation level than l-serine, which exhibited a high saturation level at 1.2% resulting in an iturin A yield of 914 mg/L. In contrast, a negative effect was observed following the addition of l-tyrosine. To analyze the kinetic behavior of l-serine, three kinetic models were adopted: the kinetic order equation, the Langmuir kinetic equation, and a modified logistic equation. The regression results showed that the modified logistic model was the best fit for the kinetic behavior of l-serine as the major precursor, which could be further referred to the biosynthesis pathway of iturin A. Among the proposed processes for iturin A production, this study achieved the highest iturin A levels as a result of the addition of precursors.

Effects of different amino acids in culture media on surfactin variants produced by Bacillus subtilis TD7

Surfactin produced by Bacillus subtilis has different variants, which are affected by the composition of substrate available. To demonstrate the effects of amino acids on surfactin variants, B. subtilis TD7 was cultivated under the same conditions but with different amino acids supplied in media, respectively, and the type as well as the proportion of surfactin variants produced was analyzed with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The result shows that the addition of different amino acids significantly influences the proportion of surfactin variants with different fatty acids. When Arg, Gln, or Val was added to the culture medium of B. subtilis TD7, the proportion of produced surfactin variants with even β-hydroxy fatty acids significantly increased, while the addition of Cys, His, Ile, Leu, Met, Ser, or Thr enhanced the proportion of surfactin variants with odd β-hydroxy fatty acids markedly. This result may be of some reference value in enhancing the production of specific surfactin variants as well as in the research on the relationship between culture media and the corresponding products of a certain bacterium.

Production of iturin A homologues under different culture conditions

Iturin A is a cyclic lipopeptide antibiotic and eight different kinds of iturin A have been reported based on its alkyl side chains. As iturin A is a promising biocontrol agent, total production of iturin A was tried to enhance and comparative production of its homologues was investigated by using different nitrogen and carbon sources. When Polypepton S and defatted soybean meal were used, total production as well as the ratio of the iturin A homologues were similar. However, production of iturin A was relatively lower and also the ratio of the iturin A homologues was different when Polypepton was used, where A2 was decreased and A4 was increased. Production ratio of the iturin A homologues was similar for the carbon sources like maltose, mannitol, sucrose and starch but relative production of iturin A2 was much enhanced compared to A3 when lactose or galactose was used. Interestingly production ratio of A4 was increased and A2 and A3 were decreased when no additional carbon source was used, and similar tendency was observed in the homologue ratio with glucose and fructose. Production of iturin A homologue A6 was significantly increased whereas A2 and A3 were decreased when defatted rapeseed cake was used. Utilization of different amino acids did not show significant differences in their production of the iturin A homologues. Oxygen supply found to be the factor affecting the production of iturin A homologues when it was investigated in a varied culture volume size and shaking speed. A2 found to be increased with increased oxygen supply where the production of A3 was affected inversely.

A novel lipopeptide produced by a Pacific Ocean deep-sea bacterium, Rhodococcus sp. TW53

AIMS

Our goal was to find a novel, biosurfactant-producing bacterium from Pacific Ocean deep-sea sediments.

METHODS AND RESULTS

An oil-degrading biosurfactant-producing bacterium TW53 was obtained from deep-sea sediment, and was identified through 16S rDNA analysis as belonging to the genus Rhodococcus. It lowered the surface tension of its culture to 34.4 mN m(-1). Thin layer chromatography (TLC) showed that the crude biosurfactants of TW53 were composed of lipopeptides and free fatty acids (FA). The lipopeptides were purified with column chromatography and then hydrolysed with 6 mol l(-1) HCl. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed that the hydrolyte in the hydrophobic fraction contained five kinds of FA with chain lengths of C(14)-C(19), and C(16)H(32)O(2) was a major component making up 59.18% of the total. However, 3-hydroxyl FA was not found, although it is usually found in lipopeptides. Silica gel TLC revealed that the hydrolyte in the hydrophilic fraction was composed of five kinds of amino acids; consistently, ESI-Q-TOF-MS analysis confirmed the composition results and provided their sequence tentatively as Ala-Ile-Asp-Met-Pro. Furthermore, the yield and CMC (critical micelle concentrations) of purified lipopeptides were examined. The purified product reduced the surface tension of water to 30.7 mN m(-1) with a CMC value of 23.7 mg l(-1). These results suggest that Rhodococcus sp. TW53 produces a novel lipopeptide that we have named rhodofactin.

CONCLUSION

The deep-sea isolate Rhodococcus sp. TW53 was the first reported lipopeptide-producing bacterium of this genus. The lipopeptides had novel chemical compositions.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Rhodococcus sp. TW53 has potential in the exploration of new biosurfactants and could be used in bioremediation of marine oil pollution.

Importance of 3-hydroxy fatty acid composition of lipopeptides for biosurfactant activity

Biosurfactant production may be an economic approach to improving oil recovery. To obtain candidates most suitable for oil recovery, 207 strains, mostly belonging to the genus Bacillus, were tested for growth and biosurfactant production in medium with 5% NaCl under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. All strains grew aerobically with 5% NaCl, and 147 strains produced a biosurfactant. Thirty-five strains grew anaerobically with 5% NaCl, and two produced a biosurfactant. In order to relate structural differences to activity, eight lipopeptide biosurfactants with different specific activities produced by various Bacillus species were purified by a new protocol. The amino acid compositions of the eight lipopeptides were the same (Glu/Gln:Asp/Asn:Val:Leu, 1:1:1:4), but the fatty acid compositions differed. Multiple regression analysis showed that the specific biosurfactant activity depended on the ratios of both iso to normal even-numbered fatty acids and anteiso to iso odd-numbered fatty acids. A multiple regression model accurately predicted the specific biosurfactant activities of four newly purified biosurfactants (r2= 0.91). The fatty acid composition of the biosurfactant produced by Bacillus subtilis subsp. subtilis strain T89-42 was altered by the addition of branched-chain amino acids to the growth medium. The specific activities of biosurfactants produced in cultures with different amino acid additions were accurately predicted by the multiple regression model derived from the fatty acid compositions (r2= 0.95). Our work shows that many strains of Bacillus mojavensis and Bacillus subtilis produce biosurfactants and that the fatty acid composition is important for biosurfactant activity.

Synthesis of beta-hydroxy fatty acids and beta-amino fatty acids by the strains of Bacillus subtilis producing iturinic antibiotics

The iturinic antibiotics, which contain long chain beta-amino acids, are produced by Bacillus subtilis. Screening these strains for the presence of a possible precursor of the iturinic antibiotics, we isolated a lipopeptide containing beta-hydroxy fatty acids. The structure of this compound was studied and it appears to be identical or structurally very similar to surfactin. The carbon chain of its beta-hydroxy fatty acids was n C16, iso C16, iso C15 or anteiso C15. The percentages of each beta-hydroxy fatty acids varied according to the strain producing iturinic antibiotics and were influenced by addition of branched-chain alpha-amino acids to the culture medium. These results demonstrate for the first time that iso C14 beta-hydroxy fatty acid is a constituent present in such a surfactin like lipopeptide. Besides, the presence of radioactive beta-hydroxy fatty acids in the phospholipids when the strains were grown in the presence of sodium [14C]acetate seems also characterize the different strains producing iturinic antibiotics.

Studies on the biosynthesis of iturin, an antibiotic of Bacillus subtilis, and a lipopeptide containing beta-hydroxy fatty acids

The biosynthesis of iturin, an antibiotic containing a beta-amino fatty acid, was studied by incubating Bacillus subtilis in the presence of various 14C-labelled precursors. Sodium acetate or palmitic acid were incorporated into the beta-amino acids of iturin. Among the alpha-amino acids (asparagine, glutamine, serine, proline and tyrosine) in the peptidic part of iturin, asparagine appears to be the best precursor. In the presence of sodium [14C]acetate or [14C]asparagine, there was a synthesis of radioactive compound (compound X) before the synthesis of radioactive iturin. Compound X contained asparagine and/or aspartic acid, glutamine and/or glutamic acid and beta-hydroxy fatty acids.

Fatty acid and beta-amino acid syntheses in strains of Bacillus subtilis producing iturinic antibiotics

Iturinic antibiotics, produced by different strains of Bacillus subtilis, contain long-chain beta-amino acids (beta-AA). The regulation of the synthesis of fatty acids (FA) and beta-AA was studied by modifying the culture medium. Addition of possible precursors, branched-chain alpha-amino acids, to the medium affected the FA and beta-AA compositions. According to this, the B. subtilis strains can be divided into two groups. The first contains the producers of mycosubtilin and bacillomycin F which synthesize a high level of iso C16 chains; the second contains the producers of bacillomycin D, bacillomycin L and iturin which synthesize a high level of n carbon chains. The incorporation of radioactive sodium acetate into FA and beta-AA showed rapid FA synthesis followed by a second synthetic step. Although the detailed mechanism has not yet been elucidated, this second step, corresponding to the beta-AA synthesis, seemed to be a key step in determining the alkyl chain of beta-AA.