Chitinolytic Microorganisms and Their Possible Application in Environmental Protection

Brzezinska, Maria Swiontek; Jankiewicz, Urszula; Burkowska, Aleksandra; Walczak, Maciej

doi:10.1007/s00284-013-0440-4

Cited by 184 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 107 publications

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“…To elucidate the second class of fungicidal substances, we focused on chitinases as the mycolytic activity of many Bacilli is known (Swiontek Brzezinska et al, 2014). Genome analysis revealed the presence of three different classes of chitinases shared by the genomes of the strains with antifungal activities.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They provide several advantages compared to other biocontrol agents such as (i) a better life-shell, (ii) a dry-product formulation which contains a lower contamination rate, (iii) established large-scale treatment, and finally, (iv) a cheap and easy usage (Katan, 1981; Fravel, 2005; Haas and Défago, 2005). Some Bacilli synthesize antifungal compounds such as cyclic lipopeptides produced by non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS), polyketide synthases (PKS) or mycolytic enzymes like chitinases (Swiontek Brzezinska et al, 2014; Aleti et al, 2015). Three families of Bacillus lipopeptides are known to confer an antifungal effect: surfactins, iturins, and fengycins (Ongena and Jacques, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus weihenstephanensis Inhibit the Growth of Phytopathogenic Verticillium Species

et al. 2017

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Verticillium wilt causes severe yield losses in a broad range of economically important crops worldwide. As many soil fumigants have a severe environmental impact, new biocontrol strategies are needed. Members of the genus Bacillus are known as plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) as well as biocontrol agents of pests and diseases. In this study, we isolated 267 Bacillus strains from root-associated soil of field-grown tomato plants. We evaluated the antifungal potential of 20 phenotypically diverse strains according to their antagonistic activity against the two phytopathogenic fungi Verticillium dahliae and Verticillium longisporum. In addition, the 20 strains were sequenced and phylogenetically characterized by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) resulting in 7 different Bacillus thuringiensis and 13 Bacillus weihenstephanensis strains. All B. thuringiensis isolates inhibited in vitro the tomato pathogen V. dahliae JR2, but had only low efficacy against the tomato-foreign pathogen V. longisporum 43. All B. weihenstephanensis isolates exhibited no fungicidal activity whereas three B. weihenstephanensis isolates showed antagonistic effects on both phytopathogens. These strains had a rhizoid colony morphology, which has not been described for B. weihenstephanensis strains previously. Genome analysis of all isolates revealed putative genes encoding fungicidal substances and resulted in identification of 304 secondary metabolite gene clusters including 101 non-ribosomal polypeptide synthetases and 203 ribosomal-synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides. All genomes encoded genes for the synthesis of the antifungal siderophore bacillibactin. In the genome of one B. thuringiensis strain, a gene cluster for zwittermicin A was detected. Isolates which either exhibited an inhibitory or an interfering effect on the growth of the phytopathogens carried one or two genes encoding putative mycolitic chitinases, which might contribute to antifungal activities. This indicates that chitinases contribute to antifungal activities. The present study identified B. thuringiensis isolates from tomato roots which exhibited in vitro antifungal activity against Verticillium species.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus weihenstephanensis Inhibit the Growth of Phytopathogenic Verticillium Species

et al. 2017

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“…Chitinases produced by soil microorganisms have evolved to catalyze chitin hydrolysis in an extracellular environment on surfaces exposed to air moisture, that is, without bulk water. Consequently, the natural environment for chitinase activity is very different from the bulk aqueous solutions or suspensions used in chemical and industrial processing …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanoenzymatic Breakdown of Chitinous Material to N‐Acetylglucosamine: The Benefits of a Solventless Environment

et al. 2019

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Chitin is not only the most abundant nitrogen‐containing biopolymer on the planet, but also a renewable feedstock that is often treated as a waste. Current chemical methods to break down chitin typically employ harsh conditions, large volumes of solvent, and generate a mixture of products. Although enzymatic methods have been reported, they require a harsh chemical pretreatment of the chitinous substrate and rely on dilute solution conditions that are remote from the natural environment of microbial chitinase enzymes, which typically consists of surfaces exposed to air and moisture. We report an innovative and efficient mechanoenzymatic method to hydrolyze chitin to the N‐acetylglucosamine monomer by using chitinases under the recently developed reactive aging (RAging) methodology, based on repeating cycles of brief ball‐milling followed by aging, in the absence of bulk solvent. Our results demonstrate that the activity of chitinases increases several times by switching from traditional solution‐based conditions of enzymatic catalysis to solventless RAging, which operates on moist solid substrates. Importantly, RAging is also highly efficient for the production of N‐acetylglucosamine directly from shrimp and crab shell biomass without any other processing except for a gentle wash with aqueous acetic acid.

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“…Fungal contamination and mycotoxin production is also a problem in the built environment [11]. Potentially, natural fungicides, such as chitinases, could replace the chemical fungicides in plant biocontrol [12] and toxic chemicals indoors, and since bacterial chitinases can inhibit fungal growth, they are of particular interest for this purpose [7,13]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological Potential of Chitinolytic Marine Bacteria

et al. 2016

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Chitinolytic microorganisms secrete a range of chitin modifying enzymes, which can be exploited for production of chitin derived products or as fungal or pest control agents. Here, we explored the potential of 11 marine bacteria (Pseudoalteromonadaceae, Vibrionaceae) for chitin degradation using in silico and phenotypic assays. Of 10 chitinolytic strains, three strains, Photobacterium galatheae S2753, Pseudoalteromonas piscicida S2040 and S2724, produced large clearing zones on chitin plates. All strains were antifungal, but against different fungal targets. One strain, Pseudoalteromonas piscicida S2040, had a pronounced antifungal activity against all seven fungal strains. There was no correlation between the number of chitin modifying enzymes as found by genome mining and the chitin degrading activity as measured by size of clearing zones on chitin agar. Based on in silico and in vitro analyses, we cloned and expressed two ChiA-like chitinases from the two most potent candidates to exemplify the industrial potential.

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Chitinolytic Microorganisms and Their Possible Application in Environmental Protection

Cited by 184 publications

References 107 publications

Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus weihenstephanensis Inhibit the Growth of Phytopathogenic Verticillium Species

Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus weihenstephanensis Inhibit the Growth of Phytopathogenic Verticillium Species

Mechanoenzymatic Breakdown of Chitinous Material to N‐Acetylglucosamine: The Benefits of a Solventless Environment

Biological Potential of Chitinolytic Marine Bacteria

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