''Paenibacillus polymyxa'', also known as ''Bacillus polymyxa'', is a
Gram-positive bacterium
Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...
capable of
fixing nitrogen
Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular nitrogen (), with a strong triple covalent bond, in the air is converted into ammonia () or related nitrogenous compounds, typically in soil or aquatic systems but also in industry. Atmos ...
. It is found in soil, plant tissues, marine sediments and
hot spring
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...
s.
It may have a role in forest ecosystems and potential future applications as a biofertilizer and biocontrol agent in agriculture.
Growth conditions
''P. polymyxa'' can be grown in the laboratory on
trypticase soy agar medium.
Applications
Agricultural use
''P. polymyxa'' might have possible future applications as a
soil inoculant in
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
and
horticulture
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
. Biofilms of ''P. polymyxa'' growing on plant roots have been shown to produce
exopolysaccharides which protect the plants from pathogens. The interactions between this bacterial species and plant roots also cause the root hairs to undergo physical changes.
Antibiotics
Some strains of ''P. polymyxa'' produce
antibiotic
An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention of ...
s including fusaricidin
and
polymyxins. ''P. polymyxa'' var. ''colistinus'' produces the antibiotic
colistin.
Surfactant
Surfactants are chemical compounds that decrease the surface tension between two liquids, between a gas and a liquid, or interfacial tension between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming ...
complexes isolated from ''P. polymyxa'' have been shown to be effective in disrupting
biofilm
A biofilm comprises any syntrophic consortium of microorganisms in which cells stick to each other and often also to a surface. These adherent cells become embedded within a slimy extracellular matrix that is composed of extracellular ...
s of ''
Bacillus subtilis'', ''
Micrococcus luteus
''Micrococcus luteus'' is a Gram-positive, to Gram-variable, nonmotile, coccus, tetrad-arranging, pigmented, saprotrophic bacterium that belongs to the family Micrococcaceae. It is urease and catalase positive. An obligate aerobe, ''M. luteus' ...
'', ''
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
''Pseudomonas aeruginosa'' is a common encapsulated, gram-negative, aerobic–facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacterium that can cause disease in plants and animals, including humans. A species of considerable medical importance, ''P. aerugi ...
'', ''
Staphylococcus aureus
''Staphylococcus aureus'' is a Gram-positive spherically shaped bacterium, a member of the Bacillota, and is a usual member of the microbiota of the body, frequently found in the upper respiratory tract and on the skin. It is often positive ...
'' and ''
Streptococcus bovis
''Streptococcus bovis'' (''S. bovis'') is a species of Gram-positive bacteria that in humans is associated with urinary tract infections, endocarditis, sepsis, Ryan K.J. and C.G. Ray CG (editors). 2004. ''Sherris Medical Microbiology'' (4th ed.). ...
''.
Cell extraction
''P. polymyxa'' is a source of
dispase, an enzyme used to isolate cells from animal tissues.
References
External links
UniProt TaxonomyPATRIC: Paenibacillus polymyxaType strain of ''Paenibacillus polymyxa'' at Bac''Dive'' - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
Paenibacillaceae
Bacteria described in 1994
{{Bacilli-stub