Production, purification and characterization of serraticin A, a novel cold-active antimicrobial produced by Serratia proteamaculans 136

Abstract

Aim: This study focuses on the production, purification and characterization of serraticin A, a novel cold‐active antimicrobial produced by Serratia proteamaculans 136. Methods and Results: A Ser. proteamaculans strain producing a novel cold‐active antimicrobial was isolated from Isla de los Estados, Argentina. Antimicrobial production was optimized in a BIOFLO 101 bioreactor under batch culture mode, with temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen controlled conditions. A purification protocol was developed including activated charcoal adsorption, solid‐phase C18 extraction (SPE) and semi‐preparative HPLC. The molecular weight was determined by LC/QTOF/MS/MS mass analysis. Conclusions: Serratia proteamaculans 136 produces a cold‐active low molecular bacteriocin‐like compound named serraticin A. In this work, it has been laboratory‐scale produced, purified and partially characterized. Cross‐immunity test revealed that serraticin A is very different from other well‐known microcins assayed, with a wide inhibitory spectrum, showing an interesting biotechnology potential to be applied as a control agent against pathogenic bacteria. Significance and Impact of the Study: The present study is the first report of a cold‐active compound with antimicrobial activity from Ser. proteamaculans. The work also highlights that cold environments could be a suitable source of micro‐organisms with ability to produce cold‐active biomolecules of biotechnological interest.

Antimicrobial activity and resistance to heavy metals and antibiotics of heterotrophic bacteria isolated from sediment and soil samples collected from two Antarctic islands

“…In order to gain competitive advantage, some microorganisms produce antimicrobial compounds to inhibit the growth of their competitors (O'Brien et al 2004;Lo Giudice et al 2007a). Coldadapted microorganisms have been recognized as a new and promising source to search for novel antimicrobial metabolites with potential for application in different industrial sectors, such as food-processing, pharmaceutical chemistry and cosmetic industries (Ravot et al 2006;Sánchez et al 2009Sánchez et al , 2010. The antimicrobial activities of microorganisms from Antarctica, especially bacteria, have only been investigated recently.…”

Microbial biodiversity as related to crop succession and potato intercropping for management of brown rot disease

“…The antimicrobial activity of Serratia spp. was attributed to an active antimicrobial compound known as serraticin (Sànchez et al 2011). Another new biocontrol agent, similar to Perlucidibaca aquatic (possibly not previously recorded as a biocontrol agent), was recovered from the rhizosphere of cabbage.…”

The Variety and Inscrutability of Polar Environments as a Resource of Biotechnologically Relevant Molecules

“…Among the several effects that certainly the extreme polar conditions exert on microorganisms there is the development of defence strategies, often translatable in the production of metabolites with antimicrobial activity. Several authors assessed the importance of cold-adapted bacteria as potential new source of compounds useful for the control of pathogenic microorganisms [ 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 ], owing to their typical survival strategies, such as antagonistic activity, or sophisticated communication mechanisms that could imply the production of special defensive metabolites [ 79 , 80 ]. In some cases, strains of polar origin investigated for their enzymatic potential showed also antibacterial strains against a number of pathogens (see below and in Table 3 ).…”