Antibacterial activity of <i>Arthrobacter</i> strains isolated from Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area, Mongolia

Alberto Bernacchi; Giulia Semenzato; Manuel di Mascolo; Sara Amata; Angela Bechini; Fabiola Berti; Carmela Calonico; Valentina Catania; Giovanni Emiliani; Antonia Esposito; Claudia Greco; Stefano Mocali; Nadia Mucci; Anna Padula; Antonio Palumbo Piccionello; Battogtokh Nasanbat; Gantulga Davaakhuu; Munkhtsetseg Bazarragchaa; Francesco Riga; Claudio Augugliaro; Anna Maria Puglia; Marco Zaccaroni; Fani Renato; Alberto Bernacchi; Giulia Semenzato; Manuel di Mascolo; Sara Amata; Angela Bechini; Fabiola Berti; Carmela Calonico; Valentina Catania; Giovanni Emiliani; Antonia Esposito; Claudia Greco; Stefano Mocali; Nadia Mucci; Anna Padula; Antonio Palumbo Piccionello; Battogtokh Nasanbat; Gantulga Davaakhuu; Munkhtsetseg Bazarragchaa; Francesco Riga; Claudio Augugliaro; Anna Maria Puglia; Marco Zaccaroni; Fani Renato

doi:10.3934/microbiol.2024009

AIMS Microbiology

2024, Volume 10, Issue 1: 161-186. doi: 10.3934/microbiol.2024009

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Research article

Antibacterial activity of Arthrobacter strains isolated from Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area, Mongolia

1.
Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano 6, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, Italy
2.
Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies-STEBICEF, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Ed.17, 90128, Palermo, Italy
3.
Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, viale G.B. Morgagni, 48, 50134 Firenze, Italy
4.
Department of Earth and Sea Science (DiSTeM), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Blg. 16, Palermo, 90128, Italy
5.
Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP)—National Research Council (CNR), Via Madonna del Piano 10, Sesto Fiorentino 50019 Florence, Italy
6.
Council for Agricultural and Economics Research (CREA) – Agriculture and Environment, Via di Lanciola 12/A, Cascine del Riccio, 50125, Florence, Italy
7.
Unit for Conservation Genetics (BIO-CGE), Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, via Ca' Fornacetta, 9, 40064 Ozzano dell'Emilia Bologna, Italy
8.
Consorzio Italbiotec, Piazza della Trivulziana 4/a 20126 Milano
9.
Institute of Biology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Peace Avenue-54B, Bayanzurkh District, Ulaanbaatar-13330, Mongolia
10.
Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, S.Zorig street, Ulaanbaatar-14210, Mongolia
11.
Italian Institute for Envioronmental Protection and Research, via Vitalino Brancati, 48, 00144, Roma, Italy
12.
Wildlife Initiative, Bayangol, 6th Khoroo, Micro District 10, Ulaanbaatar, 210349, Mongolia

Received: 27 October 2023 Revised: 01 February 2024 Accepted: 22 February 2024 Published: 28 February 2024

Desert soil hosts many microorganisms, whose activities are essential from an ecological viewpoint. Moreover, they are of great anthropic interest. The knowledge of extreme environments microbiomes may be beneficial for agriculture, technology, and human health. In this study, 11 Arthrobacter strains from topsoil samples collected from the Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area in the Gobi Desert, were characterized by a combination of different techniques. The phylogenetic analysis, performed using their 16S rDNA sequences and the most similar Arthrobacter sequences found in databases, revealed that most of them were close to A. crystallopoietes, while others joined a sister group to the clade formed by A. humicola, A. pascens, and A. oryzae. The resistance of each strain to different antibiotics, heavy-metals, and NaCl was also tested as well as the inhibitory potential against human pathogens (i.e., Burkholderia ssp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus ssp.) via cross-streaking, to check the production of metabolites with antimicrobial activity. Data obtained revealed that all strains were resistant to heavy metals and were able to strongly interfere with the growth of many of the human pathogens tested. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) profile of the 11 Arthrobacter strains was also analyzed. A total of 16 different metabolites were found, some of which were already known for having an inhibitory action against different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Isolate MS-3A13, producing the highest quantity of VOCs, is the most efficient against Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc), K. pneumoniae, and coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CoNS) strains. This work highlights the importance of understanding microbial populations' phenotypical characteristics and dynamics in extreme environments to uncover the antimicrobial potential of new species and strains.
- Gobi Desert,
- Arthrobacter,
- inhibitory action,
- antibiotic resistance,
- VOCs
Citation: Alberto Bernacchi, Giulia Semenzato, Manuel di Mascolo, Sara Amata, Angela Bechini, Fabiola Berti, Carmela Calonico, Valentina Catania, Giovanni Emiliani, Antonia Esposito, Claudia Greco, Stefano Mocali, Nadia Mucci, Anna Padula, Antonio Palumbo Piccionello, Battogtokh Nasanbat, Gantulga Davaakhuu, Munkhtsetseg Bazarragchaa, Francesco Riga, Claudio Augugliaro, Anna Maria Puglia, Marco Zaccaroni, Fani Renato. Antibacterial activity of Arthrobacter strains isolated from Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area, Mongolia[J]. AIMS Microbiology, 2024, 10(1): 161-186. doi: 10.3934/microbiol.2024009

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Abstract

Desert soil hosts many microorganisms, whose activities are essential from an ecological viewpoint. Moreover, they are of great anthropic interest. The knowledge of extreme environments microbiomes may be beneficial for agriculture, technology, and human health. In this study, 11 Arthrobacter strains from topsoil samples collected from the Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area in the Gobi Desert, were characterized by a combination of different techniques. The phylogenetic analysis, performed using their 16S rDNA sequences and the most similar Arthrobacter sequences found in databases, revealed that most of them were close to A. crystallopoietes, while others joined a sister group to the clade formed by A. humicola, A. pascens, and A. oryzae. The resistance of each strain to different antibiotics, heavy-metals, and NaCl was also tested as well as the inhibitory potential against human pathogens (i.e., Burkholderia ssp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus ssp.) via cross-streaking, to check the production of metabolites with antimicrobial activity. Data obtained revealed that all strains were resistant to heavy metals and were able to strongly interfere with the growth of many of the human pathogens tested. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) profile of the 11 Arthrobacter strains was also analyzed. A total of 16 different metabolites were found, some of which were already known for having an inhibitory action against different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Isolate MS-3A13, producing the highest quantity of VOCs, is the most efficient against Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc), K. pneumoniae, and coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CoNS) strains. This work highlights the importance of understanding microbial populations' phenotypical characteristics and dynamics in extreme environments to uncover the antimicrobial potential of new species and strains.

Conflict of interest

Renato Fani is an editorial board member for AIMS Microbiology and was not involved in the editorial review or the decision to publish this article. All authors declare that there are no competing interests.

Author contributions

Conceptualization: Renato Fani, Giulia Semenzato, Marco Zaccaroni. Investigation: Alberto Bernacchi, Giulia Semenzato, Sara Amata, Antonia Esposito, Manuel di Mascolo, Fabiola Berti, Valentina Catania, Anna Padula. Visualization: Alberto Bernacchi, Renato Fani. Writing-Original Draft: Alberto Bernacchi, Giulia Semenzato, Renato Fani. Resources: Battogtoh Nasanbat, Gantulga Davaakhuu, Munkhtsetseg Bazarragchaa, Francesco Riga, Claudio Augugliaro, Marco Zaccaroni. Supervision: Anna Maria Puglia, Angela Bechini, Giovanni Emiliani, Stefano Mocali, Anna Padula, Marco Zaccaroni, Antonio Palumbo Piccionello. Writing-Review & Editing: Renato Fani, Marco Zaccaroni, Antonia Esposito, Giovanni Emiliani, Carmela Calonico, Angela Bechini, Giulia Semenzato, Alberto Bernacchi, Antonio Palumbo Piccionello, Anna Maria Puglia, Claudia Greco, Nadia Mucci, Anna Padula.

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