Purification and Structural Analysis of Surfactin Produced by Endophytic Bacillus subtilis EBS05 and its Antagonistic Activity Against Rhizoctonia cerealis

Abstract

Bacillus subtilis EBS05, an endophytic bacteria strain isolated from a medicinal plant Cinnamomum camphor, can produce antagonistic compounds that effectively inhibit plant pathogenic fungi. The greenhouse experiments showed that wheat sharp eyespot disease (WSED) was reduced by 91.2%, 88.2% and 43.0% after the treatment with fermentation broth, bacteria-free filter and a fungicide fludioxonil, respectively. The culture broth of strain EBS05 can more effectively control WSED than can fludioxonil. The fermentation broth and bacteria-free filter ability to suppress WSED was not significantly different, suggesting that an active secreted substance played a major role in controlling WSED. Separation and purification of the active compounds was carried out by serial processes, including hydrochloric acid (pH 2.0) treatment, methanol extraction and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography, silica gel column chromatography and reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), respectively. The purified compounds, one of active peaks in the HPLC spectrum, were obtained from the collection. Analysis of the chemical structures by time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) showed that the active substances produced by the endophytic bacteria EBS05 are mixture of the <TEX>${\beta}$</TEX>-hydroxy-C12~C15-<TEX>$Leu^7$</TEX> surfactin A isomers with 1035.65 Da, 1021.64 Da, 1007.63 Da and 993.65 Da molecular weights, respectively.