Bacillus velezensis 802 with antagonistic activity against Aspergillus flavus: genome characterization, secondary metabolites and antifungal mechanism
4 affiliations
- 1National Engineering Research Center of Wheat and Corn Further Processing, Henan University of Technology , ,
- 2School of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology , ,
- 3School of International Education, Henan University of Technology , ,
- 4Institute for Complexity Science, Henan University of Technology , ,
Abstract
Background: Aspergillus flavus causes severs postharvest spoilage and aflatoxins contamination of agricultural commodities, posing major threats to food safety and human health and underscoring the need for safe, effective biocontrol strategies. This study aimed to identify an antagonistic endophytic bacterium against A. flavus and to integrate whole-genome mining, metabolomics, and mechanistic assays to elucidate the molecular basis of its antifungal activity.
Methods: An endophytic isolate was identified as Bacillus velezensis 802. Its crude extract was evaluated in vitro , and SEM, CLSM, and physiological assays were used to assess hyphal morphology, membrane integrity, mitochondrial function, energy metabolism, and apoptosis. Bioinformatic analysis of the whole-genome sequence was used to predict biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) and their associated pathways. UHPLC–MS/MS was used to identify metabolites in the active extract.
Results: Bacillus velezensis 802 inhibited A. flavus by 70.16%. The crude extract induced hyphal wrinkling and swelling, disrupted membrane integrity, reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, suppressed key energy-metabolism enzymes, and activated the Caspase-9-mediated apoptotic pathway. Genome analysis revealed a 3,951,806 bp circular chromosome containing 13 BGCs. Metabolomics identified six secondary metabolites, among which isobutyric acid showed the strongest antifungal activity.
Conclusion: By coupling whole-genome mining with metabolomic profiling and mechanistic validation, this study demonstrates that B. velezensis 802 suppresses A. flavus through multi-target interference with cell structure, energy metabolism, and apoptosis. The strain and its metabolites, especially isobutyric acid, are promising biocontrol candidates for improving grain storage safety.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026bacillus,
title = {{Bacillus velezensis 802 with antagonistic activity against Aspergillus flavus: genome characterization, secondary metabolites and antifungal mechanism}},
author = {Li Zhang and Miaomiao Yang and Boyuan Zhang and Yuting Li and Lizhu Shao and Ziyu Wang and Yating Wang and Yuwen Tang and Yuansen Hu and Peng Li and Zhongke Sun and Na Liu},
journal = {Frontiers in microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2026.1942172},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13661912},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Bacillus velezensis 802 with antagonistic activity against Aspergillus flavus: genome characterization, secondary metabolites and antifungal mechanism
AU - Li Zhang
AU - Miaomiao Yang
AU - Boyuan Zhang
AU - Yuting Li
AU - Lizhu Shao
AU - Ziyu Wang
AU - Yating Wang
AU - Yuwen Tang
AU - Yuansen Hu
AU - Peng Li
AU - Zhongke Sun
AU - Na Liu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Frontiers in microbiology
DO - 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1942172
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13661912
AB - Background: Aspergillus flavus causes severs postharvest spoilage and aflatoxins contamination of agricultural commodities, posing major threats to food safety and human health and underscoring the need for safe, effective biocontrol strategies. This study aimed to identify an antagonistic endophytic bacterium against A. flavus and to integrate whole-genome mining, metabolomics, and mechanistic assays to elucidate the molecular basis of its antifungal activity. Methods: An endophytic isolate was identified as Bacillus velezensis 802. Its crude extract was evaluated in vitro , and SEM, CLSM, and physiological assays were used to assess hyphal morphology, membrane integrity, mitochondrial function, energy metabolism, and apoptosis. Bioinformatic analysis of the whole-genome sequence was used to predict biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) and their associated pathways. UHPLC–MS/MS was used to identify metabolites in the active extract. Results: Bacillus velezensis 802 inhibited A. flavus by 70.16%. The crude extract induced hyphal wrinkling and swelling, disrupted membrane integrity, reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, suppressed key energy-metabolism enzymes, and activated the Caspase-9-mediated apoptotic pathway. Genome analysis revealed a 3,951,806 bp circular chromosome containing 13 BGCs. Metabolomics identified six secondary metabolites, among which isobutyric acid showed the strongest antifungal activity. Conclusion: By coupling whole-genome mining with metabolomic profiling and mechanistic validation, this study demonstrates that B. velezensis 802 suppresses A. flavus through multi-target interference with cell structure, energy metabolism, and apoptosis. The strain and its metabolites, especially isobutyric acid, are promising biocontrol candidates for improving grain storage safety.
SN - 1664-302X
ER -