Isolation of a Chitinolytic Bacillus Licheniformis S213 Strain Exerting a Biological Control Against Phoma Medicaginis Infection

Among nine chitinase-producing strains isolated from Tunisian soil, one isolate called S213 exhibited a potent chitinolytic activity. S213 strain was identified as Bacillus licheniformis by API 50CH system and sequence analysis of its partial 16S ribosomal DNA. Chitinolytic activity was induced either by colloidal chitin or fungal cell walls, and the highest chitinase activity reached at the late stationary phase exhibiting optimal temperature and pH of 50–60 °C and pH 6.0, respectively. SDS-PAGE analysis of the secreted colloidal chitin-induced proteins showed a major protein of about 65 kDa. This protein was identified as chitinase on the basis of its peptide sequences which displayed high homology with chitinase sequence of B. licheniformis ATCC 14580. Moreover, chitinolytic activity containing supernatant inhibited the growth of several phytopathogenic fungi including Phoma medicaginis. Interestingly, S213 strain reduced efficiently the damping-off disease caused by P. medicaginis in Medicago truncatula and should be envisaged in enzyme-based biopesticides against phytopathogen application.