Antifungal activity and genomic characterization of the biocontrol agent Bacillus velezensis CMRP 4489

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 17401
• Main Authors: Baptista, Julia Pezarini, Teixeira, Gustavo Manoel, de Jesus, Maria Luiza Abreu, Bertê, Rosiana, Higashi, Allan, Mosela, Mirela, da Silva, Daniel Vieira, de Oliveira, João Paulo, Sanches, Danilo Sipoli, Brancher, Jacques Duílio, Balbi-Peña, Maria Isabel, de Padua Pereira, Ulisses, de Oliveira, Admilton Gonçalves
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 18.10.2022; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/114; 631/326/2522; 631/61; Anti-Infective Agents - chemistry; Antifungal activity; Antifungal Agents - chemistry; Bacillus - metabolism; Bacillus velezensis; Biofilms; Biological control; Biological Control Agents - metabolism; Biological Control Agents - pharmacology; Colonization; Environmental conditions; Gene clusters; Genomics; Humanities and Social Sciences; Metabolites; multidisciplinary; Phytopathogenic fungi; Plant Diseases - microbiology; Plant Diseases - prevention & control; Product development; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Secondary metabolites; Seeds
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22380-0

The development of bio-based products has increased in recent years, and species of the Bacillus genus have been widely used for product development due to their elevated production of antimicrobial molecules and resistance to extreme environmental conditions through endospore formation. In this context, the antifungal potential of Bacillus velezensis CMRP 4489 was investigated using in silico predictions of secondary metabolites in its genome and in vitro tests against the following phytopathogenic fungi: Sclerotinia sclerotiorum , Macrophomina phaseolina , and Botrytis cinerea . The in-silico predictions indicated that CMRP 4489 possesses several Biosynthetic Gene Clusters (BGCs) capable of producing molecules with antifungal properties and other non-identified BGCs. The in vitro assay results evidenced strong antifungal activity, inhibiting more than 60% of the tested fungi, and the isolate’s molecules were stable under diverse physicochemical conditions. The in vitro assay evidenced significant antifungal activity, deformation of the hyphal structure in SS, biofilm formation capacity, and swarming motility. In the colonization assay, we observed attachment, colonization, and net-shaped biofilm formation, with the strain transitioning from the seeds to nearby structures. Therefore, CMRP 4489 showed to be a potential biocontrol agent against various diseases with agronomic importance and can be used under adverse environmental conditions.