Abstract
Bamboos, regarded as therapeutic agents in ethnomedicine, have been used to inhibit inflammation and enhance natural immunity for a long time in Asia, and there are many bamboo associated fungi with medical and edible value. In the present study, a total of 350 fungal strains were isolated from the uncommon moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) seeds for the first time. The molecular diversity of these endophytic fungi was investigated and bioactive compound producers were screened for the first time. All the fungal endophytes were categorized into 69 morphotypes according to culturable characteristics and their internal transcriber spacer (ITS) regions were analyzed by BLAST search with the NCBI database. The fungal isolates showed high diversity and were divided in Ascomycota (98.0%) and Basidiomycota (2.0%), including at least 19 genera in nine orders. Four particular genera were considered to be newly recorded bambusicolous fungi, including Leptosphaerulina, Simplicillium, Sebacina and an unknown genus in Basidiomycetes. Furthermore, inhibitory effects against clinical pathogens and phytopathogens were screened preliminarily and strains B09 (Cladosporium sp.), B34 (Curvularia sp.), B35 (undefined genus 1), B38 (Penicillium sp.) and zzz816 (Shiraia sp.) displayed broad-spectrum activity against clinical bacteria and yeasts by the agar diffusion method. The crude extracts of isolates B09, B34, B35, B38 and zzz816 under submerged fermentation, also demonstrated various levels of bioactivities against bambusicolous pathogenic fungi. This study is the first report on the antimicrobial activity of endophytic fungi associated with moso bamboo seeds, and the results show that they could be exploited as a potential source of bioactive compounds and plant defense activators. In addition, it is the first time that strains of Shiraia sp. have been isolated and cultured from moso bamboo seeds, and one of them (zzz816) could produce hypocrellin A at high yield, which is significantly different from the other strains published.
Highlights
Bamboos are well-known for their therapeutical effects and potential health benefits
All the internal transcriber spacer (ITS) sequences have been deposited in GenBank, and the accession numbers are HQ654261 and HQ696018,85 corresponding to individual isolates (Table S1)
The analysis of ITS region revealed that a remarkable diversity of fungal endopytes from moso bamboo seeds was mainly distributed in Dothideomycetes and Sordariomycetes
Summary
Bamboos are well-known for their therapeutical effects and potential health benefits. They are used as bioactive agents for a variety of applications, including bamboo charcoal (bintochan), bamboo vinegar, bamboo juice, bamboo beer, bamboo salt, and tender shoot used in Chinese cuisine. Sexual propagation plays a vital part in the sustainable production of moso bamboo, but the seeds are uncommon and have a low germination rate [2,3]. Seed germination of moso bamboo is often associated with high fungal contamination [4] and some fungal endophytes have serious negative effects on the seed survival in tissue culture [5]. It has been demonstrated that bamboo seeds colonized by field and storage fungi, could be a source of potential pathogens, which might pose problems in nurseries [6,7]
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