The ecological roles of microbial lipopeptides: Where are we going?

Abstract

Lipopeptides (LPs) are secondary metabolites produced by a diversity of bacteria and fungi. Their unique chemical structure comprises both a peptide and a lipid moiety. LPs are of major biotechnological interest owing to their emulsification, antitumor, immunomodulatory, and antimicrobial activities. To date, these versatile compounds have been applied across multiple industries, from pharmaceuticals through to food processing, cosmetics, agriculture, heavy metal, and hydrocarbon bioremediation. The variety of LP structures and the diversity of the environments from which LP-producing microorganisms have been isolated suggest important functions in their natural environment. However, our understanding of the ecological role of LPs is limited. In this review, the mode of action and the role of LPs in motility, antimicrobial activity, heavy metals removal and biofilm formation are addressed. We include discussion on the need to characterise LPs from a diversity of microorganisms, with a focus on taxa inhabiting ‘extreme’ environments. We introduce the use of computational target fishing and molecular dynamics simulations as powerful tools to investigate the process of interaction between LPs and cell membranes. Together, these advances will provide new understanding of the mechanism of action of novel LPs, providing greater insights into the roles of LPs in the natural environment.

Analysis of the Genome of the Heavy Metal Resistant and Hydrocarbon-Degrading Rhizospheric Pseudomonas qingdaonensis ZCR6 Strain and Assessment of Its Plant-Growth-Promoting Traits

“…It is worth noting that LPs and rhamnolipids have been successfully used to enhance oil recovery in extreme environmental conditions [ 112 ]. In addition, bacteria use LPs for the chelation of heavy metals in a similar way to siderophores and incorporate them into their metabolism as micronutrients [ 113 ].…”

Interactive Analysis of Biosurfactants in Fruit-Waste Fermentation Samples using BioSurfDB and MEGAN

“…Lipopeptides biosurfactants are considered potent antimicrobials that are capable of disrupting the cell membrane 32 . In addition, they also exhibit antitumor, immunomodulatory, emulsifying activities and their production is also closely related to motility and biofilm formation or inhibition 15,33,34 . These biosurfactants are synthesized by a set of multifunctional enzymes called non-ribosomal peptide synthases (NRPSs).…”

“…Various metagenomic approaches combined with bioinformatics tools have been used to study biosurfactants 15 . However, general-purpose functional databases, such as KEGG 16 , are not ideal for this purpose as they tend to focus on other aspects of function.…”

Mutation of Bacillus velezensis Using Corona Discharge

“…It is a kind of aerobic or facultative anaerobic bacteria, which can be widely used in air, water, human, animal intestines, vegetables and food [1,2]. In recent years, Bacillus velezensis plays an increasingly important role in the application of microorganisms [3]. Bacillus velezensis can produce spores even in adverse environments.…”