Fe Nanoparticles Enhanced Surfactin Production in Bacillus amyloliquefaciens

Surfactin, as one of the most powerful biosurfactants, can be widely applied in agriculture, food, and pharmaceutics. However, low biosynthesis efficiency is the major obstacle in its commercialization. Here, we used nanoparticles to increase the surfactin production in Bacillus amyloliquefaciens MT45 through enhancing the secretion (the key step of surfactin biosynthesis). The results showed that the surfactin titer increased from 4.93 to 7.15 g/L in the flask and from 5.94 to 9.18 g/L in a 7 L bioreactor by adding 5 g/L Fe nanoparticles. They were the highest titers in the reported wild-type strain. Our results indicated that Fe nanoparticles enhanced the expression of genes involved in the biosynthesis of surfactin. Moreover, Fe nanoparticles increased the permeability of cell membranes, resulting in a more efficient secretion of surfactin. This study provides an efficient strategy for increasing the biosynthesis of microbial metabolites and provides new insights into the nanoparticles’ impacts on microbes.