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Updated: Jan 4, 2026

Anti-virulent Disruption of Pathogenic Biofilms using Engineered Quorum-quenching Lactonases
Published on: January 1, 2016
Antibiotic Bacillomycin D Affects Iron Acquisition and Biofilm Formation in Bacillus velezensis through a
Zhihui Xu1, Ines Mandic-Mulec2, Huihui Zhang1
1Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab of Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Solid Organic Wastes, Educational Ministry Engineering Center of Resource-Saving Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, Jiangsu, Peoples R China.
Abstract:
Bacillus spp. produce a wide range of secondary metabolites, including antibiotics, which have been well studied for their antibacterial properties but less so as signaling molecules. Previous results indicated that the lipopeptide bacillomycin D is a signal that promotes biofilm development of Bacillus velezensis SQR9. However, the mechanism behind this signaling is still unknown. Here, we show that bacillomycin D promotes biofilm development by promoting the acquisition of iron. Bacillomycin D promotes the transcription of the iron ABC transporter FeuABC by binding to its transcription factor, Btr. These actions increase intracellular iron concentration and activate the KinB-Spo0A-SinI-SinR-dependent synthesis of biofilm matrix components. We demonstrate that this strategy is beneficial for biofilm development and competition with the Pseudomonas fluorescens PF-5. Our results unravel an antibiotic-dependent signaling mechanism that links iron acquisition to biofilm development and ecological competition.
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