Collaborative Mass Spectrometry Innovation Center, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences , University of California, San Diego , La Jolla , California 92093 , United States.
ACS Chem Biol. 2019 Mar 15;14(3):459-467. doi: 10.1021/acschembio.8b01120. Epub 2019 Feb 22.
Microbes use metabolic exchange to sense and respond to their changing environment. Surfactins, produced by Bacillus subtilis, have been extensively studied for their role in biofilm formation, biosurfactant properties, and antimicrobial activity, affecting the surrounding microbial consortia. Using mass spectrometry, we reveal that Paenibacillus dendritiformis, originally isolated with B. subtilis, is not antagonized by the presence of surfactins and is actually attracted to them. We demonstrate here for the first time that P. dendritiformis is also actively degrading surfactins produced by B. subtilis and accumulating the degradation products that serve as territorial markers. This new attribute as an attractant of selected microbes and the conversion into a deterrent highlight the diverse role natural products have in shaping the environment and establishing mixed communities.
微生物利用代谢交换来感知和响应其不断变化的环境。枯草芽孢杆菌产生的表面活性剂因其在生物膜形成、生物表面活性剂特性和抗菌活性方面的作用而被广泛研究，影响周围的微生物群落。使用质谱法，我们揭示了原本与枯草芽孢杆菌一起分离的枝动杆菌实际上并不受表面活性剂的抑制，反而被其吸引。我们在这里首次证明，枝动杆菌实际上也在积极降解枯草芽孢杆菌产生的表面活性剂，并积累作为地域标记的降解产物。这种作为选定微生物的引诱剂的新属性以及转化为驱避剂的属性突出了天然产物在塑造环境和建立混合群落方面的多样化作用。
