Structure and antifungal activity of pelgipeptins from Paenibacillus elgii against phytopathogenic fungi

Paenibacillus elgii JCK1400 shows strong antifungal activity against various plant pathogenic fungi in vitro, but little is known about its mode of action. Four antifungal lipopeptides were isolated from P. elgii JCK1400 using bioassay-directed fractionation. Their chemical structures were determined to be pelgipeptins (PGPs) using electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Among the four lipopeptides, PGP-C showed the strongest mycelial growth inhibitory activity against several plant pathogenic fungi—with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 4 to 32 μg mL−1—followed by PGP-D, -A, and -B. In pot experiments, PGP-C also effectively suppressed the development of important fungal diseases in crops. In particular, PGP-C was effective in controlling tomato grey mold and wheat leaf rust, with control values of 91% and 73%, respectively, at a concentration of 125 μg mL−1. The fermentation broth of the antagonistic bacterium reduced the development of creeping bentgrass dollar spot and Kentucky bluegrass brown patch in a dose-dependent manner. However, our study on the effect of PGP-C on the fungal cell membrane—using microscopic observation with propidium iodide (PI) fluorescence—indicated that PGP-C does not target the fungal cell walls, but instead targets the cell membranes. This is the first study to report the in vitro and in vivo antifungal activity of PGP-C against various plant pathogenic fungi. Our results suggest that P. elgii JCK1400, which produces PGPs, could serve as a potential biocontrol agent for plant diseases caused by various fungi.