2-heptanone and 2,3-butanediol from endophytic Bacillus subtilis GEB-1 against root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne enterolobii: a computational and experimental approach

Abstract

ABSTRACT Meloidogyne enterolobii is regarded as one of the most severe and threatening pathogens worldwide. Guava production in India is quenched by the invasion of root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne enterolobii. Bacterial bio-control agents confer resistance against nematodes by producing various bioactive molecules. Exploiting these biomolecules will lead to the development of novel nematicidal formulations for managing plant parasitic nematodes. Considering this, our present investigation was focused on the isolation and identification of endophytic bacterial communities from wild guava Psidium eugeniaefolia. Amongst various endophytes, Bacillus subtilis GEB-1 exhibited a 90% reduction in the population of M. enterolobii. Cell-free supernatant extracts of B. subtilis GEB-1 revealed the presence of seventeen unique biomolecules. Attempts were made to dock these biomolecules against major protein targets of M. enterolobii such as E3 ubiquitin ligase, Neurotransmitter-gated ion-channel, G protein-coupled receptor kinase, Peptidase M12B domain-containing protein, Hyaluronidase through molecular docking techniques. The results of in-silico studies revealed that all seventeen biomolecules had a significant impact on protein targets of M. enterolobii. Among other bacterial metabolites, 2-heptanone and 2,3-butanediol were found to have a greater binding affinity with protein targets of M. enterolobii. Furthermore, the in-vitro evaluation of 2-heptanone and 2,3-butanediol at different concentrations confirmed their nematicidal activity against eggs and second-stage juveniles of M. enterolobii. Hence our present study revealed that bacterial metabolites, 2 heptanone, and 2,3-butanediol can be explored as novel nematicidal molecules against guava root-knot nematodes, M. enterolobii.