title: Lipopeptides from Bacillus strain AR2 inhibits biofilm formation by Candida albicans.
abstract: The ability of the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans to reversibly switch between different morphological forms and establish biofilms is crucial for establishing infection. Targeting phenotypic plasticity and biofilm formation in C. albicans represents a new concept for antifungal drug discovery. The present study evaluated the influence of cyclic lipopeptide biosurfactant produced by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain AR2 on C. albicans biofilms. The biosurfactant was characterized as a mixture of iturin and fengycin by MALDI-TOF and amino acid analysis. The biosurfactant exhibited concentration dependent growth inhibition and fungicidal activity. The biosurfactant at sub-minimum growth inhibition concentration decreased cell surface hydrophobicity, hindered germ tube formation and reduced the mRNA expression of hyphae-specific gene HWP1 and ALS3 without exhibiting significant growth inhibition. The biosurfactants inhibited biofilm formation in the range of 46-100 % depending upon the concentration and Candida strains. The biosurfactant treatment dislodged 25-100 % of preformed biofilm from polystyrene plates. The biosurfactant retained its antifungal and antibiofilm activity even after exposure to extreme temperature. By virtue of the ability to inhibit germ tube and biofilm formation, two important traits of C. albicans involved in establishing infection, lipopeptides from strain AR2 may represent a potential candidate for developing heat stable anti-Candida drugs.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbial Technology, Sector 39 A, Chandigarh, 160036, India.
authors.forename: Ria
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rautela
authors.forename: Anil Kumar
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Abha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shukla
authors.forename: Swaranjit Singh
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Cameotra
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D001407:Bacillus / Q000737:chemistry*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development*; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D055666:Lipopeptides / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000187:drug effects; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D055666:Lipopeptides; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; D013501:Surface-Active Agents