Co-production of two new peptide antibiotics by a bacterial isolate Paenibacillus alvei NP75

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2009 Feb 6;379(2):179-85. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2008.12.007. Epub 2008 Dec 13.

Abstract

Two new peptide antibiotics were secreted by a Gram-positive bacterial strain isolated from fermented tomato fruit. Based on its 99% 16S rDNA sequence similarity with Paenibacillus alvei, the isolate was designated as P. alvei NP75. Among these two peptides, one is active against Gram-positive pathogens while the other against Gram-negative pathogens; thus these peptides were named as paenibacillin P and paenibacillin N, respectively. After the purification of those peptide antibiotics from the cell free culture supernatant by RP-HPLC, they were analyzed for their temperature sensitivity and susceptibility to proteases. Higher-temperature tolerant paenibacillin N was easily degraded by proteinase K, while the temperature sensitive paenibacillin P was not affected by any of the proteases used in this study other than a specific protease that was secreted by the same NP75 strain. Mass-spectrometry analysis of the above peptide antibiotics further confirmed their distinction among the known peptide antibiotics. We are reporting first of its kind the co-production of two different new peptide antibiotics from a single bacterial isolate of P. alvei strain.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / biosynthesis*
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / isolation & purification
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / biosynthesis*
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / isolation & purification
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / pharmacology
  • Bacillus / genetics
  • Bacillus / isolation & purification
  • Bacillus / metabolism*
  • Gram-Negative Bacteria / drug effects
  • Gram-Positive Bacteria / drug effects
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Solanum lycopersicum / microbiology

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides
  • paenibacillin N
  • paenibacillin P