Isolation and whole genome characterization of antagonistic Paenibacillus polymyxa 188 and its biocontrol potential against several fungi

Abstract

Discovery of new antifungal compounds and biocontrol agents is important due to the emergence of drug-resistant fungi and new fungal pathogens. The aim of this study was to isolate marine bacteria that are able to produce metabolites with antifungal properties. In this study, we isolated a P. polymyxa, named as 188, from a marine sediment sample and evaluated its antifungal ability. The results indicated that the bacterium showed excellent antifungal activity against many pathogenic fungi of plants and humans. The antifungal compounds produced by P. polymyxa 188 were extracted and analyzed using MALDI-TOF/MS. The complete genome sequence and biosynthetic gene clusters were characterized, and further to compare the genomes of P. polymyxa 188 with other strains. Various CAZymes were identified in P. polymyxa 188. Five antibiotic gene clusters including paenilan, paenibacillin, fusaricidin, polymyxin, and tridecaptin can be found in P. polymyxa strains, but gene clusters of paenilan, paenibacillin, and polymyxin were absent in P. polymyxa 188. Our findings provided detail genetic information about P. polymyxa 188 and suggested that P. polymyxa 188 is the potential agent of biocontrol and disease management.