Surfactin facilitates the establishment ofBacillus subtilisin synthetic communities

Abstract

AbstractSoil bacteria are prolific producers of a myriad of biologically active secondary metabolites. These natural products play key roles in modern society, finding use as anti-cancer agents, as food additives, and as alternatives to chemical pesticides. As for their original role in interbacterial communication, secondary metabolites have been extensively studied underin vitroconditions, revealing a multitude of roles including antagonism, effects on motility, niche colonization, signaling, and cellular differentiation. Despite the growing body of knowledge on their mode of action, biosynthesis, and regulation, we still do not fully understand the role of secondary metabolites on the ecology of the producers and resident communitiesin situ.Here, we specifically examine the influence ofBacillus subtilis-produced cyclic lipopeptides (LPs) during the assembly of a bacterial synthetic community (SynCom), and simultaneously, explore the impact of LPs onB. subtilisestablishment success in a SynCom propagated in an artificial soil microcosm. We found that surfactin production facilitatesB. subtilisestablishment success within multiple SynComs. Surprisingly, while neither a wild type nor a LP non-producer mutant had major impact on the SynCom composition over time, theB. subtilisand the SynCom metabolomes are both altered during co-cultivation. Overall, our work demonstrates the importance of surfactin production in microbial communities, suggesting a broad spectrum of action of this natural product.