Macrocyclic polyketides with siderophore mode of action from marine heterotrophic Shewanella algae: Prospective anti-infective leads attenuate drug-resistant pathogens.

AIMS: Biotechnological and chemical characterization of previously undescribed homologous siderophore-type macrocyclic polyketides from heterotrophic Shewanella algae Microbial Type Culture Collection (MTCC) 12715 affiliated with Rhodophycean macroalga Hypnea valentiae of marine origin, with significant anti-infective potential against drug-resistant pathogens. METHODS AND RESULTS: The heterotrophic bacterial strain in symbiotic association with intertidal macroalga H. valentiae was isolated to homogeneity in a culture-dependent method and screened for bioactivities by spot-over-lawn assay. The bacterial organic extract was purified and characterized by extensive chromatographic and spectroscopic methods, respectively, and was assessed for antibacterial activities with disc diffusion and microtube dilution methods. The macrocyclic polyketide compounds exhibited wide-spectrum of anti-infective potential against clinically significant vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VREfs), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumonia with minimum inhibitory concentration of about 1-3 µg ml-1 , insomuch as the antibiotics chloramphenicol and ampicillin were active at ≥6·25 µg ml-1 . The studied compounds unveiled Fe3+ chelating activity, which designated that their prospective anti-infective activities against the pathogens could be due to their siderophore mechanism of action. In support of that, the bacterium exhibited siderophore production on bioassay involving the cast upon culture agar plate, and the presence of siderophore biosynthetic gene (≈1000 bp) (MF 981936) further corroborated the inference. In silico molecular modelling with penicillin-binding protein (PBP2a) coded by mecA genes of MRSA (docking score -11·68 to -12·69 kcal mol-1 ) verified their in vitro antibacterial activities. Putative biosynthetic pathway of macrocyclic polyketides through stepwise decarboxylative condensation initiated by malonate-acyl carrier protein further validated their structural and molecular attributes. CONCLUSIONS: The studied siderophore-type macrocyclic polyketides from S. algae MTCC 12715 with significant anti-infective potential could be considered as promising candidates for pharmaceutical and biotechnological applications, especially against emerging multidrug-resistant pathogens. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study exhibited the heterotrophic bacteria in association with intertidal macroalga as propitious biological resources to biosynthesize novel antibacterial agents.

Antibacterial aryl-crowned polyketide from Bacillus subtilis associated with seaweed Anthophycus longifolius.

AIMS: Microbiological, biotechnological and chemical characterization of a previously undescribed aryl-crowned polyketide from Bacillus subtilis MTCC 10403 isolated from brown seaweed Anthophycus longifolius with activity against opportunistic Gram-negative food-borne pathogenic bacterial strains. METHODS AND RESULTS: A culture-dependent method was used to isolate heterotrophic B. subtilis associated with A. longifolius and assessed for its antimicrobial properties. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the title compound against the test pathogens was analysed by microtube dilution coupled with the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide-based colorimetric endpoint detection. Bacillus subtilis MTCC 10403 was found to be antagonistic against Gram-negative food-borne pathogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi, Aeromonas hydrophila and Vibrio sp. (diameter of zone of growth inhibition 13-22 mm). Bacillus subtilis was assessed for the presence of secondary metabolite coding polyketide synthase (pks) gene (KC589397, 700-bp gene product) and carboxylate siderophore framework in the aryl-crowned polyketide designated as 7-O-6'-(2″-acetylphenyl)-5'-hydroxyhexanoate-macrolactin by exhaustive spectroscopic techniques. The MIC assay showed that the reference antibiotics tetracycline and ampicillin were active at 25 µg ml-1 against the test pathogens, whereas the newly isolated polyketide displayed anti-infective properties against E. coli, A. hydrophilla, P. aeruginosa and Vibrio sp. at a lower concentration (MIC <13 µg ml-1 ). The MIC of the aryl macrolactin against K. pneumoniae was comparable with that of the referral antibiotics (~25 µg ml-1 ). The mode of antimicrobial action of acryl-crowned macrolactin was found to be iron chelating similar to siderophores. Putative biosynthetic pathway of the pks gene product further validated its molecular attributions. CONCLUSIONS: This study recognized new variant of antimicrobial aryl-crowned polyketide bearing methyl 6'-(2″-acetylphenyl)-5'-hydroxyhexanoate moiety at the C-7 position of the macrolactin system from A. longifolius-associated bacterium B. subtilis. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study revealed seaweed-associated micro-organisms as promising biological strata to produce new-generation anti-infective agents.