The role of secondary metabolites in the diversity of the Bacillus subtilis group; an important group of crop protection microbes

Authors: Dunlap, Christopher

Submitted to: International PGPR Workshop
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/12/2023
Publication Date: 5/29/2023
Citation: Dunlap, C.A. 2023. The role of secondary metabolites in the diversity of the Bacillus subtilis group; an important group of crop protection microbes. International PGPR Workshop. [abstract].

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Lipopeptides constitute an important family of compounds that are produced by species in the Bacillus subtilis group. There are three main groups of lipopeptides, surfactins, iturins and fengycins. The compounds that comprise the iturin family are: iturin, bacillomycin D, bacillomycin F, bacillomycin L, mycosubtilin and mojavensin. The compounds that comprise the surfactin family are: surfactin, lichenysin and pumilacidin. While the fengycin family is comprised of several structural variants of fengycin. These lipopeptides are prominent in many Bacillus strains that have been commercialized as biological control agents against fungal plant pathogens and as plant growth promoters. The compounds are cyclic peptides with a variable length alkyl sidechain, which confers surface activity properties resulting in an affinity for fungal membranes. This study examines the diversity of these compounds in the thousands of genomes available for this group of species. The distribution of these compounds among the B. subtilis group species suggests that they play an important role in their speciation and evolution.