title: The presence of sboA and spaS genes and antimicrobial peptides subtilosin A and subtilin among Bacillus strains of the Amazon basin.
abstract: This report demonstrates the usefulness of PCR for the genes spaS and sboA as a means of identifying Bacillus strains with a potential to produce subtilin and subtilosin A. One collection strain and five Bacillus spp. isolated from aquatic environments in the Amazon basin were screened by PCR using primers for sboA and spaS designed specifically for this study. The sequences of the PCR products showed elevated homology with previously described spaS and sboA genes. Antimicrobial peptides were isolated from culture supernatants and analyzed by mass spectrometry. For all samples, the mass spectra revealed clusters with peaks at m/z 3300-3500 Da, corresponding to subtilosin A, subtilin and isoforms of these peptides. These results suggest that the antimicrobial activity of these strains may be associated with the production of subtilosin A and/or subtilin. The PCR used here was efficient in identifying novel Bacillus strains with the essential genes for producing subtilosin A and subtilin.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Bioquímica e Microbiologia Aplicada, Departamento de Ciência de Alimentos, Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renata Voltolini
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Velho
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Basso
authors.forename: Jeferson
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Segalin
authors.forename: Luis Fernando
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Costa-Medina
authors.forename: Adriano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brandelli
keywords: Bacillus; bacteriocin; polymerase chain reaction; subtilin; subtilosin A