Title:Up Scaling Strategies to Improve the Industrial Production of Bacitracin at Largescale
Volume: 17
Issue: 16
Author(s): Chandra Kant Sharma and Monika Sharma*
Affiliation:
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Banasthali University, Rajasthan 304022,India
Keywords:
Antibiotic, bacitracin, industrial, largescale, production, up scaling.
Abstract: Background and Objective: Bacitracin was discovered and named after a 7 year old American
girl, Margaret Tracey in 1943 as Bacillus was isolated from her wounds. Bacillus licheniformis is
usually present in soil and bird feathers. This bacterium is most commonly present around back plumage
and chest of birds. There are different types of bacitracin but the one most potent is Bacitracin A.
Bacitracin induced proteins are localized in bacterial membrane. Production of antibiotic initially
stopped, resumed by induction of bacitracin induced protein but after few mitotic divisions microbes
reverted to their vulnerable state. Induction of protein ceases after 4th hour of stationary phase. Immobilization
is necessary for economic, process convenience and stability of the cell. Moreover, immobilization
increases the ability of the cell to produce product in high quantity.
Conclusion: Maximum production of antibiotic was noted at pH 8 after 4 hours of incubation at various
glucose concentrations in shake flask fermentation at 30°C when immobilized in polyacrylamide
gel. Increase in antibiotic activity was also found with increase in use of cells. Efforts have been made
to alter heterocyclic metal binding subunit of bacitracin by synthesizing heterocyclic building blocks
that can be coupled to linear decapeptide and consequently cyclization by PCPTE biodomain of bacitracin.
Derivatives of bacitracin showed antimicrobial activities indicating the possibility of overcoming
existing limitations just by altering their heterocyclic subunit. Bioactivity and stability can be increased
by modifying peptide backbone of compounds.
