Physiological and genomic insights into Bacillus sp. BRTN from Baratang mud volcano with emphasis on SUF system proteins

Abstract

Bacterial genome analysis provides valuable insights into the identification of potential biomolecules for diverse biotechnological and therapeutic applications. Particularly, bacteria isolated from extreme environments such as mud volcanoes possess unique physiological and genetic traits that may offer novel opportunities for both in vitro studies and in silico drug target discovery. In this study, a total of 10 bacteria were isolated from Baratang mud volcano, located in Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India; of which strain BRTN was selected for further study based on its best ferrous sulfate (FeSO₄ MTC value 600 mg L⁻¹) tolerance capability and antibiotic sensitivity profile (resistant to Gentamycin, Streptomycin, Ceftriaxone, and Sulphatriad). Optimum growth of BRTN was found at pH 8.0 and it could tolerate up to 16% NaCl. The whole genome sequencing, assembly, and annotation identified that BRTN had the most proximity with Bacillus genera. The bacterium was associated with 3.35 Mb genome with 35.9% of GC content and harbored 3514 genes. Genome analysis revealed that Sulfur Utilization Factor (SUF) proteins was present in the accessory genome. Genome analyses confirmed the presence of SufB, SufC, SufD, SufE2, etc. SUF genes (non-homologous to human genome) that could be considered as potent targets to develop antimicrobial compounds. Furthermore, in silico analysis including homology modeling and receptor-ligand docking were carried out to characterize the selected SUF proteins and to assess their potentiality for functional inhibition by candidate ligands. Among all interactions, SufD showed best Vina score (−14.0) when it interacted with ChEMBL3921511, suggesting SufD protein as a potential drug target. Thus, the SUF system genes identified in this study may serve as promising targets for the development of novel antibacterial therapies.