Microbial gifts from rain forests1

Abstract

It appears that all higher plants are hosts to one or more endophytic microbes. These organisms reside in the tissues between and among living plant cells. The relationship that they establish with the plant varies from symbiotic to pathogenic. Of the estimated 500 000 plant species on the planet, less than a handful have had their endophytic microflora studied. As a result, the opportunity of finding new and interesting microorganisms within the myriad of the world's plants is great. In addition, in the case of a microbe being symbiotic, new and unusual organic substances may be discovered that contribute to the host-microbe relationship while at the same time providing new and interesting bioactive compounds that may find uses in medicine, industry, and agriculture. Some of the compounds that we have discovered in endophytic microbes are taxol, cryptocin, cryptocandin, and ambuic acid. This review discusses an approach to bioprospecting the rain forests, not only to understand them, but to realize the importance and value they have to humankind.