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Comparative Genomic Analysis of Three Paenibacillus polymyxa Strains Isolated from Termitarium and Identification of

Boomiga Rathakrishnan1, Venkatesan Dhanalakshmi1, Jeyaprakash Rajendhran2

  • 1Department of Genetics, School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, 625021, India.

Current Microbiology
|March 9, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Multidrug-resistant pathogens necessitate new antibiotics. Paenibacillus polymyxa strains from a termitarium yielded 112 biosynthetic gene clusters, including known and novel antimicrobial compounds, offering potential solutions.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Biotechnology
  • Drug Discovery

Background:

  • Multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens present a critical global health challenge.
  • Novel antibiotic discovery is essential to combat the rise of MDR infections.
  • Microbial natural products are a vital source for identifying new antimicrobial agents.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the biosynthetic potential of three Paenibacillus polymyxa strains isolated from a termitarium.
  • To identify secondary metabolites and biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) with antimicrobial activity.
  • To assess the potential for novel antibiotic discovery from these bacterial isolates.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation and cultivation of Paenibacillus polymyxa strains from a termitarium.
  • Antimicrobial activity screening against clinical and plant pathogens.
  • Whole-genome sequencing using the Illumina platform and bioinformatics annotation of BGCs.

Main Results:

  • All three strains (WGTm-28, WGTm-93, WGTm-147) exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity.
  • A total of 112 BGCs were identified, including those for known antibiotics like polymyxin, fusaricidin B, and tridecaptin.
  • Novel BGCs with low sequence identity to known antibiotics were discovered, including 33 putative NRPS, hybrid, and PKS clusters.

Conclusions:

  • Paenibacillus polymyxa strains from termitaria are a rich source of diverse secondary metabolites.
  • These strains possess BGCs for known antibiotics and novel compounds with potential antimicrobial applications.
  • Further investigation of these novel BGCs could lead to the development of new antibiotics to combat MDR pathogens.

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