Genome analysis of a Bacillus subtilis strain reveals genetic mutations determining biocontrol properties.

Several Bacillus strains are used as biocontrol agents, as they frequently have strong antagonistic effects against microbial plant pathogens. Bacillus strain SZMC 6179J, isolated from tomato rhizosphere, was previously shown to have excellent in vitro antagonistic properties against the most important fungal pathogens of tomato (Alternaria solani, Botrytis cinerea, Phytophthora infestans and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) as well as several Fusarium species. Taxonomic investigations revealed that it is a member of the B.

Effects of Different Cultivation Parameters on the Production of Surfactin Variants by a Strain.

Surfactins are lipopeptide-type biosurfactants produced mainly by species, consisting of a peptide loop of seven amino acids and a hydrophobic fatty acid chain (C⁻C). These molecules have been proven to exhibit various biological activities; thus, their therapeutic and environmental applications are considered. Within the surfactin lipopeptide family, there is a wide spectrum of different homologues and isomers; to date, more than 30 variants have been described.

High-Frequency Occurrence of Surfactin Monomethyl Isoforms in the Ferment Broth of a Strain Revealed by Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry.

Surfactins are cyclic lipopeptides consisting of a β-hydroxy fatty acid of various chain length and a peptide ring of seven amino acids linked together by a lactone bridge, forming the cyclic structure of the peptide chain. These compounds are produced mainly by species and possess numerous biological effects such as antimicrobial (antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal) activities. A mixture of surfactins extracted from strain SZMC 6179J was examined by HPLC-ESI-IT-MS technique, enhancing their separation to reveal novel lipopeptide varieties with higher masses and to characterize their structures.

Influence of agro-environmental pollutants on a biocontrol strain of Bacillus velezensis.

Metal- and pesticide-tolerant biocontrol agents are preferred in integrated pest management, as such strains can be applied in combination with different pesticides. The Bacillus velezensis strain SZMC 6161J proved to be sensitive to copper, nickel, zinc, and cadmium, while manganese elevated its growth. At concentrations higher than 1 mmol L , zinc and iron inhibited the chymotrypsin-like activity of this strain.

Common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) affect the bacterial diversity of the eggshells of their great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) hosts.

The common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is an avian brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of other bird species, where these hosts incubate the parasitic eggs, feed and rear the nestlings. The appearance of a cuckoo egg in a host nest may change the bacterial community in the nest. This may have consequences on the hatchability of host eggs, even when hosts reject the parasitic egg, typically within six days after parasitism.

Diversity Profile and Dynamics of Peptaibols Produced by Green Mould Trichoderma Species in Interactions with Their Hosts Agaricus bisporus and Pleurotus ostreatus.

Certain Trichoderma species are causing serious losses in mushroom production worldwide. Trichoderma aggressivum and Trichoderma pleuroti are among the major causal agents of the green mould diseases affecting Agaricus bisporus and Pleurotus ostreatus, respectively. The genus Trichoderma is well-known for the production of bioactive secondary metabolites, including peptaibols, which are short, linear peptides containing unusual amino acid residues and being synthesised via non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs).

Ion trap mass spectrometry of surfactins produced by Bacillus subtilis SZMC 6179J reveals novel fragmentation features of cyclic lipopeptides.

Rationale: Surfactins are mixtures of cyclic lipopeptides consisting of variants of a heptapeptide and a linked β-hydroxy fatty acid with various chain lengths of 13-15 carbon atoms. A lactone bridge between the β-hydroxy functional group of the fatty acid and the carboxy terminal functional component of the peptide chain form their cyclic structures. Such lipopeptides, produced mainly by Bacillus species, possess several remarkable biological effects such as antitumor and antimicrobial activities, some of which are highly promising for utilization in plant disease biocontrol.

Characterization of an extracellular laccase of Leptosphaerulina chartarum.

Laccase-producing fungi were isolated from air, using selective media with a chromogenic substrate to indicate enzyme activity. The best laccase producer strain proved to be a Leptosphaerulina chartarum isolate. Laccase production was investigated in the presence of various inducers in different cultivation conditions.

Isolation and characterization of antagonistic Bacillus strains capable to degrade ethylenethiourea.

In this study, more than 150 bacteria showing antagonistic properties against bacterial and fungal pathogens of the tomato plant were isolated and characterized. The most efficient agents against these phytopathogenic microorganisms belong to the genus Bacillus: the best biocontrol isolates were representatives of Bacillus subtilis, B. mojavensis and B.

Isolation of new Pseudomonas tolaasii bacteriophages and genomic investigation of the lytic phage BF7.

Sixteen lytic bacteriophages that infect Pseudomonas tolaasii LMG 2342(T) were isolated from smashed sporocarps of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) showing necrotic symptoms. On the basis of the host range investigation of the phages, they have wide infection abilities against the genus Pseudomonas, mainly in the case of phages Bf3, Bf7, Bf10, and Bf15. Molecular investigations have revealed that they all have dsDNA genomes about 40 kbp in size.

Characterization of pseudomonads isolated from decaying sporocarps of oyster mushroom.

Pleurotus ostreatus is one of the most extensively cultivated mushrooms in the world; however, the success of cultivation often depends on the proliferation of different bacterial pathogens. Pseudomonas tolaasii is thought as the major cause of brown blotch disease of Agaricus bisporus and yellowing of Pleurotus ostreatus. In this study we examined the pathogenicity and assessed the industrial damage causing effect of 41 Pseudomonas strains isolated from deformed, yellowing oyster mushroom (P.

Microbial community structure changes during oyster mushroom substrate preparation.

Although oyster mushroom (Pleurotus spp.) is a valuable food, cultivated worldwide on an industrial scale, still very little is known about the microbial dynamics during oyster mushroom substrate preparation. Therefore, the characterization of the microbial dynamics by chemical and biological tools was the objective of this study.

Molecular identification of Trichoderma species associated with Pleurotus ostreatus and natural substrates of the oyster mushroom.

Green mold of Pleurotus ostreatus, caused by Trichoderma species, has recently resulted in crop losses worldwide. Therefore, there is an emerging need for rapid means of diagnosing the causal agents. A PCR assay was developed for rapid detection of Trichoderma pleurotum and Trichoderma pleuroticola, the two pathogens causing green mold of P.

Genetically closely related but phenotypically divergent Trichoderma species cause green mold disease in oyster mushroom farms worldwide.

The worldwide commercial production of the oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus is currently threatened by massive attacks of green mold disease. Using an integrated approach to species recognition comprising analyses of morphological and physiological characters and application of the genealogical concordance of multiple phylogenetic markers (internal transcribed spacer 1 [ITS1] and ITS2 sequences; partial sequences of tef1 and chi18-5), we determined that the causal agents of this disease were two genetically closely related, but phenotypically strongly different, species of Trichoderma, which have been recently described as Trichoderma pleurotum and Trichoderma pleuroticola. They belong to the Harzianum clade of Hypocrea/Trichoderma which also includes Trichoderma aggressivum, the causative agent of green mold disease of Agaricus.

Production of Trichoderma strains with pesticide-polyresistance by mutagenesis and protoplast fusion.

The sensitivity of two cold-tolerant Trichoderma strains belonging to the species T. harzianum and T. atroviride was determined to a series of pesticides widely used in agriculture.

Intraspecific mitochondrial DNA polymorphism within the emerging filamentous fungal pathogen Trichoderma longibrachiatum.

The genetic diversity of the emerging fungal pathogen Trichoderma longibrachiatum was examined at the level of mitochondrial DNA. The 17 investigated strains, comprising nine clinical and eight non-clinical isolates, exhibited seven and ten different mitochondrial DNA profiles by using the restriction enzymes BsuRI and Hin6I, respectively. The sizes of mitochondrial DNAs varied from 34.

A novel, image analysis-based method for the evaluation of in vitro antagonism.

A novel method is proposed for the accurate evaluation of in vitro antagonism. Based on the measurement of areas of the fungal colonies, biocontrol indices were calculated, which are characteristic to the antagonistic Trichoderma strains. These indices provide a useful tool to describe the biocontrol abilities of fungi.

Isolation and characterization of protease overproducing mutants of Trichoderma harzianum.

Several Trichoderma strains have been reported to be effective in controlling plant diseases, and the action of fungal hydrolytic enzymes is considered as the main mechanism involved in the antagonistic process. Strain Trichoderma harzianum T334 is a potential biocontrol agent against plant pathogenic fungi with the ability to produce low levels of proteases constitutively. To improve its fungal antagonistic capacity, mutagenetic program was undertaken for the construction of protease overproducing derivates.

Complete DNA sequence and analysis of a mitochondrial plasmid in the mycoparasitic Trichoderma harzianum strain T95.

A circular plasmid called pThr1, with a monomer size of 2.6 kb, was identified in the mitochondria of a Trichoderma harzianum isolate. Hybridization studies using cloned plasmids revealed no DNA sequence similarity between the plasmid and the mitochondrial genome of the isolate.