Mycosubtilin Explained

Mycosubtilin is a natural lipopeptide with antifungal and hemolytic activities and isolated from Bacillus species. It belongs to the iturin lipopeptide family.

Definition

Mycosubtilin is a natural lipopeptide. It is produced by the strains of Bacillus spp mainly by Bacillus subtilis. It was discovered due to its antifungal activities.^[1] It belongs to the family of iturin lipopeptides^[2]

Structure

Mycosubtilin is a heptapeptide, cyclized in a ring with a β-amino fatty acid.^[3] The peptide sequence is composed of L-Asn-D-Tyr-D-Asn-L-Gln-L-Pro-D-Ser-L-Asn.^[4]

Biological activities

Mycosubtilin has strong antifungal and hemolytic activities.^{[5] [6]} It is active against fungi and yeasts such as Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Penicillium notatum, and Fusarium oxysporum.^{[7] [8] [9]}

Its antibacterial activity is quite limited to bacteria such as Micrococcus luteus.^[10]

See also

• Surfactin

Notes and References

1. Walton R.B. & Woodruff H.B., 1949. A crystalline antifungal agent, mycosubtilin, isolated from subtilin broth. J. Clin. Invest., 28, 924-926.
2. Mehmet Nail Nasir, Françoise Besson & Magali Deleu, «Interactions des antibiotiques ituriniques avec la membrane plasmique. Apport des systèmes biomimétiques des membranes (synthèse bibliographique)», Base [En ligne], numéro 3, Volume 17 (2013), 505-516 URL : http://popups.ulg.ac.be/1780-4507/index.php?id=10280.
3. Nasir M.N. & Besson F., 2011. Specific interactions of mycosubtilin with cholesterol-containing artificial membranes. Langmuir, 27, 10785-10792.
4. Peypoux F. et al., 1986. Revised structure of mycosubtilin, a peptidolipid antibiotic from Bacillus subtilis. J. Antibiot., 39, 636-641.
5. Besson F., Peypoux F., Michel G. & Delcambe L., 1979. Antifungal activity upon Saccharomyces cerevisiae of iturin A, mycosubtilin, bacillomycin L and of their derivatives; inhibition of this antifungal activity by lipid antagonists. J. Antibiot., 32, 828-833.
6. Thimon L. et al., 1992. Interactions of bioactive lipopeptides, iturin A and surfactin from Bacillus subtilis. Biotechnol. Appl. Biochem., 16, 144-151.
7. Hourdou M.L. & Besson F., 1994. Surfactine et antibiotiques ituriniques : structure, propriétés et biosynthèse des lipopeptides de Bacillus subtilis. Regard Biochim., 1, 35-42.
8. Besson F., Peypoux F., Michel G. & Delcambe L., 1979a Antifungal activity upon Saccharomyces cerevisiae of iturin A, mycosubtilin, bacillomycin L and of their derivatives; inhibition of this antifungal activity by lipid antagonists. J. Antibiot., 32, 828-833
9. Besson F. & Michel G., 1989. Action of mycosubtilin, an antifungal antibiotic of Bacillus subtilis, on the cell membrane of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Microbios, 59, 113-121.
10. Besson F., Peypoux F. & Michel G., 1978b. Action of mycosubtilin and of bacillomycin L on Micrococcus luteus cells and protoplasts: influence of the polarity of the antibiotics upon their action on the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane. FEBS Lett., 90, 36-40.