Lenzimycins A and B, Metabolites With Antibacterial Properties From Brevibacillus sp. Associated With the Dung Beetle Onthophagus lenzii

Abstract

Symbiotic microorganisms associated with insects can produce a wide array of metabolic products, which provide an opportunity for the discovery of useful natural products. Selective isolation of bacterial strains associated with the dung beetle, Onthophagus lenzii, identified two strains, of which the antibiotic-producing Brevibacillus sp. PTH23 inhibited the growth of Bacillus sp. CCARM 9248, which is most closely related to the well-known entomopathogen, Bacillus thuringiensis. A comprehensive chemical investigation based on antibiotic activity discovered two new antibiotics, named lenzimycins A and B (1-2), which inhibited growth of Bacillus sp. CCARM 9248. The 1 H and 13 C NMR, MS, MS/MS, and IR analyses elucidated the structures of 1 and 2, which comprised a novel combination of fatty acid (12-methyltetradecanoic acid), glycerol, sulfate, and N-methyl ethanolamine. Furthermore, the acid hydrolysis of 1 revealed the absolute configuration of 12-methyltetradecanoic acid as 12S by comparing its optical rotation value with authentic (R)-and (S)-12-methyltetradecanoic acid. In addition to inhibition of Bacillus sp. CCARM 9248, lenzimycins A and B were found to inhibit the growth of some human pathogenic bacteria, including Enterococcus faecium and certain strains of Enterococcus faecalis. Furthermore, the present study elucidated that lenzimycins A and B activated a reporter system designed to detect the bacterial cell envelope stress, thereby indicating an activity against the integrity of the bacterial cell wall.

Microbiota and pathogens in an invasive bee: Megachile sculpturalis from native and invaded regions

“…Seven core ASVs taxonomically assigned to Brevibacillus borstelensis , Brevibacillus , Acidocella facilis , Lactococcus , Bacillus and Enterobacteriaceae (2 ASVs) were shared between the two populations (Figure 3a). Brevibacillus species are widely distributed in the environment (Yang & Yousef, 2018) and are associated with several insects (An et al, 2020; Ayyasamy et al, 2021). In particular, Brevibacillus laterosporus is a gut symbiont of honey bees and bumble bees but is a pathogen in other insects (Marche et al, 2016).…”

Animal Microbiomes as a Source of Novel Antibiotic-Producing Strains

“…Actinobacteria are the most thoroughly studied, but microorganisms of other phyla associated with insects also have the ability to produce antimicrobial compounds [ 57 , 66 , 67 , 68 ]. A strain of Serracia marcescens was discovered in the microbiome of the malaria vector mosquito Anopheles stephensi that inhibited the growth of Plasmodium falciparum and B. subtilis .…”

Ligiamycins A and B, Decalin-Amino-Maleimides from the Co-Culture of Streptomyces sp. and Achromobacter sp. Isolated from the Marine Wharf Roach, Ligia exotica

“…The inhibitory activities of ligiamycins were tested against Gram-positive and Gramnegative bacteria in a similar way as described previously [24,25]. Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were cultured in Mueller Hinton Broth (MHB) overnight.…”