Host species shape the community structure of culturable endophytes in fruits of wild berry species (Vaccinium myrtillus L., Empetrum nigrum L. and Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.).

Minh-Phuong Nguyen,Janne J Koskimäki,Anna Maria Pirttilä,Françoise Martz,Hely Häggman,Kaisa Lehosmaa

doi:10.1093/femsec/fiab097

Minh-Phuong Nguyen, Janne J Koskimäki + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiab097

Copy DOI

Abstract

ABSTRACTWild berries are interesting research subjects due to their rich sources of health-beneficial phenolic compounds. However, the internal microbial communities, endophytes, associated with the wild berry fruits are currently unknown. Endophytes are bacteria or fungi inhabiting inside plant tissues, and their functions vary depending on the host species and environmental parameters. The present study aimed to examine community composition of fungal and bacterial endophytes in fruits of three wild berry species (bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus L., lingonberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. and crowberry Empetrum nigrum L.) and the effects of host plant species and their growth sites on shaping the endophytic communities. We found that the endophytic community structures differed between the berry species, and fungi were predominant over bacteria in the total endophytic taxa. We identified previously unknown endophytic fungal taxa including Angustimassarina, Dothidea, Fellozyma, Pseudohyphozyma, Hannaella coprosmae and Oberwinklerozyma straminea. A role of soluble phenolic compounds, the intracellular components in wild berry fruits, in shaping the endophytic communities is proposed. Overall, our study demonstrates that each berry species harbors a unique endophytic community of microbes.

Highlights

Endophytes are mainly bacteria and fungi that inhabit inside plant tissues for all or a part of their lifetime without creating symptoms of disease (Hardoim et al 2015)
We discovered a clear effect of host plant species on shaping the endophytic community composition
The phenolic compounds of the host can play an important role in the metabolic crosstalk and colonization by the endophytes

Summary

Introduction

Endophytes are mainly bacteria and fungi that inhabit inside plant tissues for all or a part of their lifetime without creating symptoms of disease (Hardoim et al 2015). Root endophytes are likely to colonize the plant from the soil environment, while endophytes of the above-ground plant tissues can originate from the rhizosphere, phyllosphere or from the seeds (Hardoim et al 2015). This indicates that host genotype and environmental origin have prominent roles in shaping the endophytic communities of specific plant tissues

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion