Effect of Tryptophane on Synthesis of Certain Exometabolites by Bacteria of Genus Acinetobacter, Nocardia, and Rhodococcus and Their Properties

Abstract

The efficiency of integrated microbial biotechnologies for obtaining several practically valuable metabolites in one technological process is determined both by the maximum concentration of these substances and their properties. This is especially true for secondary metabolites, the composition and properties of which vary depending on the cultivation conditions of the producer. Aim. To research the effect of tryptophan (a precursor of auxin biosynthesis) in the culture media on the synthesis of certain exometabolites by Rhodococcus erythropolis IMV Ac-5017, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus IMV B-7241, and Nocardia vaccinii IMV B-7405 as well as their properties. Methods. R. erythropolis IMV Ac-5017, A. calcoaceticus IMV B-724, and N. vaccinii IMV B-7405 were cultivated in a medium containing refined and waste sunflower oil, biodiesel waste, or ethanol as a carbon source. The concentration of tryptophan in the medium was 300 mg/L. Surfactants were extracted from the supernatant of the cultural liquid with a modified Folch mixture. Phytohormones were isolated from the supernatant by sequential extraction with organic solvents after surfactant extraction. Thin-layer chromatography was used for preliminary purification and concentration of phytohormones. Qualitative and quantitative determination of auxins was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography. The antimicrobial activity of surfactants was analysed by the minimum inhibitory concentration. The activity of enzymes of surface-active glycoand aminolipids biosynthesis (phosphoenolpyruvate synthetase, phosphoenolcarboxykinase, and NADP+-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase) was determined spectrophotometrically during the oxidation of NADH or NADP. Results. It was found that the presence of tryptophan in the culture medium of the strains under study did not affect the number of synthesized surfactants, which was 1.80−1.90, 1.55−1.75, and 1.50−1.65 g/L, respectively. At the same time, cultivation of R. erythropolis IMV Ac-5017, A. calcoaceticus IMV B-724, and N. vaccinii IMV B-7405 in the media with tryptophan increased the number of phytohormones: it was higher than the amount of phytohormones synthesized during cultivation without a precursor. The introduction of tryptophan into the culture medium of the strains was accompanied by the formation of surfactants. These compounds showed 2−4 times higher antimicrobial activity against the phytopathogenic bacteria (Agrobacterium tumefaciens UCM B-1000, Pseudomonas syringae UCM B-1027T, Xanthomonas vesicatoria UCM B-1106, Pectobacterium carotovorum UCM B-1075T, Clavibacter michiganensis IMV B-102 and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato IMV B-9167) than compounds synthesized on a medium without a precursor. The antimicrobial activity of surfactants synthesized by A. calcoaceticus IMV B-7241 in the presence of tryptophan either did not change compared to that for surfactants obtained without tryptophan, or increased slightly. Data on the activity of surfactant biosynthesis enzymes correlated with the indicators of their antimicrobial activity. In the presence of tryptophan in the culture medium of N. vaccinii IMV B-7405 and R. erythropolis IMV Ac-5017, NADP+-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase activity in the cells of these strains (a key enzyme for biosynthesis of aminolipids responsible for antimicrobial activity) increased almost by 1.4 times compared to that on a tryptophan-free medium. Conclusions. As a result of this work, it was found that the presence of tryptophan in the culture medium of researched strains did not affect the number of surfactants. The antimicrobial activity of surfactants against phytopathogenic bacteria either increased or remained unchanged compared to that established for surfactants synthesized without a precursor of auxin biosynthesis. The obtained data testify to the high efficiency of the potential use of surfactants complex preparations and phytohormones in crop production to stimulate the growth of plants and biocontrol of phytopathogenic bacteria.