Genomic and Phenotypic Characterization of Sandstorm-Derived Airborne Bacillus Strains Reveals Diverse Biosynthetic Potential

Dashti, Khadijah M., Vali, Leila ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7740-3703, Mohammed, Nawal and Dashti, Ali A. (2026) Genomic and Phenotypic Characterization of Sandstorm-Derived Airborne Bacillus Strains Reveals Diverse Biosynthetic Potential. Antibiotics, 15 (9). p. 863. doi:10.3390/antibiotics15090863

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Abstract

Background/Objectives: Bacillus spp. are often isolated from airborne microbiota. Five Bacillus strains (AD12–16) isolated from dust during a sandstorm in Kuwait were characterized for their potential to produce antimicrobial compounds, biosurfactants and siderophores by genotypic and phenotypic approaches. Methods: Whole-genome sequencing was performed, and biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) were predicted using antiSMASH. Antimicrobial activities were determined by agar-well diffusion assays. Siderophore and biosurfactant production were determined by Arnow’s and drop-collapse assays, respectively. The active metabolites were separated, fractionated, and analyzed by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and LC–MS/MS. Results: Genome mining identified many BGCs associated with known secondary metabolites such as bacillibactin and bacilysin, as well as a number of unassigned clusters. The isolates exhibited distinct antimicrobial profiles, with Bacillus subtilis AD16 displaying the highest antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens. Biosurfactant- and siderophore-associated activities varied among the isolates. Active fractions demonstrated bactericidal activity, while LC–MS/MS analysis revealed molecular features tentatively assigned to siderophore- and lipopeptide-associated metabolite classes based on accurate mass and MS/MS fragmentation patterns. Conclusions: The combination of unassigned BGCs, antimicrobial activity, and incompletely characterized molecular features highlights unexplored biosynthetic potential in sandstorm-derived Bacillus. Further purification and structural characterization are required to establish the identities and biological functions of the active metabolites.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Bacillus; Sandstorm; Secondary metabolites; Antimicrobial resistance
Subjects:	Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology Q Science > QR Microbiology
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Education, Health and Sciences
Depositing User:	Rhiannon Goodland
Date Deposited:	06 Oct 2026 08:40
Last Modified:	06 Oct 2026 09:00
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/16566

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