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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.01.11.698866

Temperature-dependent biofilm and sublancin production immobilise arsenic and antibiotic resistance gene mobility in soil system

Majumdar, A.·Kotta-Loizou, I.·Buck, M.·Roychowdhury, T.
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Abstract

Climate change-induced warming and arsenic soil contamination synergistically threaten agricultural sustainability by restructuring microbial communities and accelerating antibiotic resistance evolution. Here, we demonstrate that Bacillus subtilis 168-derived sublancin, a temperature-optimised glycosylated antimicrobial peptide, simultaneously maximises microbial arsenic sequestration and suppresses antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) horizontal transfer. Temperature-dependent biofilm formation increased progressively from 25-35{degrees}C (absorbance: 0.37-1.2), correlating with enhanced arsenic accumulation within the extracellular polymeric substance matrix (74% increase in weight percentage). Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry confirmed maximum arsenic sequestration at 35{degrees}C (total counts: 4.725x10). Sublancin production peaked at 30.8{degrees}C (129.72 mg/L) and significantly reduced soil microbial biomass carbon by 33% (p < 0.001), with selective suppression of Gram-positive bacteria (42%-28% survival reduction). Conjugation assays revealed sublancin bio-amendment dramatically suppressed horizontal ARG transfer, reducing HGT frequency by 74.7% (6.64 x 10-3 to 1.68 x 10-3, p < 0.001) through dual mechanisms: decreased donor viability and reduced conjugation efficiency. Gene ontology enrichment identified coordinated upregulation of exopolysaccharide synthesis (FDR ~1.0x10-{superscript 2}), phosphotransferase systems, and arsenic resistance pathways, alongside downregulation of conventional antibiotic resistance genes. These findings establish sublancin as a dual-function soil amendment simultaneously addressing two critical agricultural threats: heavy metal bioaccumulation and antibiotic resistance dissemination under climate warming.

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Majumdar, A., Kotta-Loizou, I., Buck, M., Roychowdhury, T.. 2026-01-11. Temperature-dependent biofilm and sublancin production immobilise arsenic and antibiotic resistance gene mobility in soil system. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.11.698866

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