The exploration of new niches for microorganisms capable of degrading recalcitrant molecules is still required. We hypothesized the gut microbiota associated with insect-resistant lines carry pesticide degrading bacteria, and predicted they carry bacteria selected to degrade pesticides they were resistant to. We isolated and accessed the pesticide-degrading capacity of gut bacteria from the gut of fifth instars of Spodoptera frugiperda strains resistant to lambda-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin, chlorpyrifos ethyl, spinosad and lufenuron, using insecticide-selective media. Sixteen isolates belonging to 10 phylotypes were obtained, from which four were also associated with the susceptible strain. However, growth of gut bacteria associated with larvae from the susceptible strain was not obtained in any of the insecticide-based selective media tested. Growth of isolates was affected by the concentration of insecticides in the media, and all grew well up to 40 μg/ml. The insecticide-degrading capacity of selected isolates was assessed by GC or LC-MS/MS analyses. In conclusion, resistant strains of S. frugiperda are an excellent reservoir of insecticide-degrading bacteria with bioremediation potential. Moreover, gut-associated bacteria are subjected to the selection pressure imposed by insecticides on their hosts and may influence the metabolization of pesticides in insects.

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An extracellular glucoamylase produced by Paecilomyces variotii was purified using DEAE-cellulose ion exchange chromatography and Sephadex G-100 gel filtration. The purified protein migrated as a single band in 7% PAGE and 8% SDS-PAGE. The estimated molecular mass was 86.5 kDa (SDS-PAGE). Optima of temperature and pH were 55 degrees C and 5.0, respectively. In the absence of substrate the purified glucoamylase was stable for 1 h at 50 and 55 degrees C, with a t (50) of 45 min at 60 degrees C. The substrate contributed to protect the enzyme against thermal denaturation. The enzyme was mainly activated by manganese metal ions. The glucoamylase produced by P. variotii preferentially hydrolyzed amylopectin, glycogen and starch, and to a lesser extent malto-oligossacarides and amylose. Sucrose, p-nitrophenyl alpha-D-maltoside, methyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside, pullulan, alpha- and beta-cyclodextrin, and trehalose were not hydrolyzed. After 24 h, the products of starch hydrolysis, analyzed by thin layer chromatography, showed only glucose. The circular dichroism spectrum showed a protein rich in alpha-helix. The sequence of amino acids of the purified enzyme VVTDSFR appears similar to glucoamylases purified from Talaromyces emersonii and with the precursor of the glucoamylase from Aspergillus oryzae. These results suggested the character of the enzyme studied as a glucoamylase (1,4-alpha-D-glucan glucohydrolase).

In the search for new organisms and new secondary metabolites, a study was conducted to evaluate the diversity of endophytic bacteria from ethnovarieties of cassava cultivated by Brazilian Amazon Indian tribes and also to study the secondary metabolites produced by a Bacillus pumilus strain. Sixty seven cassava endophytic bacteria were subjected to 16S rRNA sequencing and FAME analysis. The bacterial profile revealed that 25% of all endophytic isolates belonged to the genus Bacillus. The isolate B. pumilus MAIIIM4a showed a strong inhibitory activity against the fungi Rhizoctonia solani, Pythium aphanidermatum and Sclerotium rolfsii. Secondary metabolites of this strain were extracted using hexane, dichloromethane and ethyl acetate. Extracts were subjected to bioautography and LC/MS analysis, which allowed the identification of pumilacidin, an antifungal compound produced by B. pumilus MAIIIM4a. The bacterial endophytic localization was confirmed by cassava cell tissue examination using scanning electron microscopy. Key words: ESI-MS/MS, pumilacidin, endophytic bacteria, bioautography COMPOSTO ANTIFÚNGICO PRODUZIDO PELO ENDÓFITO DE MANDIOCA Bacillus pumilus MAIIIM4ARESUMO: Na busca de novos organismos e novos metabólitos secundários, um estudo foi conduzido visando avaliar a diversidade de bactérias endofíticas de etnovariedades de mandioca cultivadas por tribos indígenas da Amazônia brasileira e também para estudar metabólitos secundários produzidos por Bacillus pumilus. Sessenta e sete bactérias endofíticas de mandioca foram identificadas através do seqüenciamento do gene 16S rRNA e por meio da análise de ácidos graxos (FAME