Metabolomics analysis reveals diverse nematicidal metabolites from spore-forming bacteria

Ziqiang Zheng; Yonghong Zhou; Pengxi Cao; Lingling Gong; Chaofan Zheng; Yujiao Huang; Yu Li; Wenjing Le; Jinliang Zhang; Xianwei Zhou; Jing Tan; Chenfei Guo; Yuanxiang Xu; Chang Chen; Ningchang Yang; Luqing Li; Yuhan Sun; Shen-Cai Hu; Fang Peng; Luhong Sun; Shuang Yu; Hongxun Wang; Ziqiang Zheng; Yonghong Zhou; Pengxi Cao; Lingling Gong; Chaofan Zheng; Yujiao Huang; Yu Li; Wenjing Le; Jinliang Zhang; Xianwei Zhou; Jing Tan; Chenfei Guo; Yuanxiang Xu; Chang Chen; Ningchang Yang; Luqing Li; Yuhan Sun; Shen-Cai Hu; Fang Peng; Luhong Sun; Shuang Yu; Hongxun Wang

doi:10.3934/microbiol.2026009

AIMS Microbiology

2026, Volume 12, Issue 2: 211-223. doi: 10.3934/microbiol.2026009

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Research article

Metabolomics analysis reveals diverse nematicidal metabolites from spore-forming bacteria

1.
School of Life Science and Technology, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan 430023, China
2.
Wuhan Qianmo Bio-agriculture Technology Co., Ltd., Medicine Garden, Miaoshan Development Zone, Jiangxia District, Wuhan 430299, China
3.
Hubei Enshi Selenium-rich Resource Observation and Research Station, Enshi, 445023, China
4.
Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Environment on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Ministry of Education, School of Ecology and Environment, Tibet University, Lhasa, 850000, Tibet, People's Republic of China
These authors contributed equally.

Received: 16 January 2026 Revised: 08 April 2026 Accepted: 17 April 2026 Published: 23 April 2026

Plant-parasitic nematodes are very important plant pathogens that can damage almost all crops worldwide. There has been a progressive decline in the use of chemical compounds because of their high toxicity to humans, livestock, and the environment. Spore-forming Bacilli as excellent biological agents are an effective and eco-friendly solution to control nematodes. However, our previous study showed that genomes of some highly nematicidal strains contain less virulent factor genes. Metabolomics studies based on mass spectrometry (MS) have shown that spore-forming strains can produce five classes of nematicidal secondary metabolites, including macrolide compounds (MCs; selamectin), triazines (Ts; prometon), piprazine derivatives (PDs; diethylcarbamazine), benzene and six-membered heterocyclic compounds (BSMHCs; crotamiton, amodiaquine and diethyltoluamide), and simple aromatic compounds (SACs; phenylacetic acid, benzyl benzoate, and benzyl alcohol). Among the spore-forming species with high nematicidal activity, Cytobacillus firmus synthesizes all five classes of nematicidal metabolites, with a ratio over 30% of PDs, BSMHCs, and SACs. Moreover, B. wiedmannii ZZQ-15, B. mycoides ZZQ-1576, and B. thuringiensis ZZQ-1522, ZZQ-1524, ZZQ-1551, ZZQ-1552, and ZZQ-1553 synthesize novel cyclopeptides with potential nematicidal activity. This study provides a useful method to identify nematicidal metabolites of bacteria.
- Plant-parasitic nematodes,
- spore-forming bacteria,
- metabolites,
- peptides
Citation: Ziqiang Zheng, Yonghong Zhou, Pengxi Cao, Lingling Gong, Chaofan Zheng, Yujiao Huang, Yu Li, Wenjing Le, Jinliang Zhang, Xianwei Zhou, Jing Tan, Chenfei Guo, Yuanxiang Xu, Chang Chen, Ningchang Yang, Luqing Li, Yuhan Sun, Shen-Cai Hu, Fang Peng, Luhong Sun, Shuang Yu, Hongxun Wang. Metabolomics analysis reveals diverse nematicidal metabolites from spore-forming bacteria[J]. AIMS Microbiology, 2026, 12(2): 211-223. doi: 10.3934/microbiol.2026009

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Abstract

Plant-parasitic nematodes are very important plant pathogens that can damage almost all crops worldwide. There has been a progressive decline in the use of chemical compounds because of their high toxicity to humans, livestock, and the environment. Spore-forming Bacilli as excellent biological agents are an effective and eco-friendly solution to control nematodes. However, our previous study showed that genomes of some highly nematicidal strains contain less virulent factor genes. Metabolomics studies based on mass spectrometry (MS) have shown that spore-forming strains can produce five classes of nematicidal secondary metabolites, including macrolide compounds (MCs; selamectin), triazines (Ts; prometon), piprazine derivatives (PDs; diethylcarbamazine), benzene and six-membered heterocyclic compounds (BSMHCs; crotamiton, amodiaquine and diethyltoluamide), and simple aromatic compounds (SACs; phenylacetic acid, benzyl benzoate, and benzyl alcohol). Among the spore-forming species with high nematicidal activity, Cytobacillus firmus synthesizes all five classes of nematicidal metabolites, with a ratio over 30% of PDs, BSMHCs, and SACs. Moreover, B. wiedmannii ZZQ-15, B. mycoides ZZQ-1576, and B. thuringiensis ZZQ-1522, ZZQ-1524, ZZQ-1551, ZZQ-1552, and ZZQ-1553 synthesize novel cyclopeptides with potential nematicidal activity. This study provides a useful method to identify nematicidal metabolites of bacteria.

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Research Funding of Wuhan Polytechnic University (2021RZ038), Research and Innovation Initiatives of Wuhan Polytechnic University (2021Y10), Open Fund from Key Laboratory of Integrated Pests Management on Crops in Central China/Hubei Key Laboratory of Crop Diseases, Insect Pests and Weeds Control (2022ZTSJJ7), Science and Technology Research Project of Hubei Education Department (D20231606), Open Fund of the Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Environment on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Ministry of Education (Grant No. KLBE2026008), Science and Technology Projects of Xizang Autonomous Region, China (XZ202501ZY0091) and Xizang University Distinguished Professor Program (ZDTPJS202402).

Conflict of interests

Authors declare no competing interests.

Author contributions

Conceptualization, ZZ, YZ, and PC; methodology, YH, YL, WL, JZ, SH, FP, and LS; formal analysis, XZ, JT, CG, YX, SY and HW; investigation, LG, CZ, YH, YL, WL, JZ, XZ, JT, CG, YX, CC, NY, LL, and YS; resources, LG, and YZ; data curation, CZ and PC; writing-original draft preparation, ZZ, YZ, and PC; writing-review and editing, ZZ; supervision, ZZ; project administration, ZZ; funding acquisition, ZZ and YZ.

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