Purification and Identification of Two Antifungal Cyclic Peptides Produced by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens L-H15

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens L-H15 with broad spectrum antifungal activity was used as a biocontrol agent to suppress Fusarium oxysporum and other soil-borne fungal plant pathogens. Two antifungal fractions were isolated by bioactivity-guided reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The two compounds were identified by tandem Q-TOF mass spectroscopy as C15 Iturin A (1) and a novel cyclic peptide with a molecular weight of 852.4 Da (2). Both compounds showed good inhibitory activities against three plant fungal pathogens in cylinder-plate diffusion assay. To our best knowledge, this is the first report on a cyclic antifungal peptide with a molecular weight of 852.4 Da. The strong antifungal activity suggests that the B. amyloliquefaciens L-H15 and its bioactive components might provide an alternative resource for the biocontrol of plant diseases and sustainable agriculture.