Abstract
Microbial endophytes are present in all known plant species. The ability to enter and thrive in the plant tissues makes endophytes unique, showing multidimensional interactions within the host plant. Several vital activities of the host plant are known to be influenced by the presence of endophytes. They can promote plant growth, elicit defense response against pathogen attack, and can act as remediators of abiotic stresses. To date, most of the research has been done assuming that the interaction of endophytes with the host plant is similar to the plant growth-promoting (PGP) microbes present in the rhizosphere. However, a new appreciation of the difference of the rhizosphere environment from that of internal plant tissues is gaining attention. It would be interesting to explore the impact of endosymbionts on the host’s gene expression, metabolism, and other physiological aspects essential in conferring resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses. A more intriguing and inexplicable issue with many endophytes that has to be critically evaluated is their ability to produce host metabolites, which can be harnessed on a large scale for potential use in diverse areas. In this review, we discuss the concept of endophytism, looking into the latest insights related to the multifarious interactions beneficial for the host plant and exploring the importance of these associations in agriculture and the environment and in other vital aspects such as human health.
Highlights
The term endophyte was first introduced by De Bary (1866), defined as any organism that grows within plant tissues, but they are more precisely described in terms of their types and relationships (obligate or facultative with the host plant (Petrini, 1991; Cabral et al, 1993; Hallmann et al, 1997; Rosenblueth and Martínez-Romero, 2006)
There are no databases exclusively available for endophytic microorganisms and their metabolites, which can be of great importance and provide solutions to many issues
Several important bioactive compounds produced by endophyte-plant interactions can be utilized in various fields such as agriculture, medicine, bioremediation, and biodegradation (Table 1)
Summary
The term endophyte was first introduced by De Bary (1866), defined as any organism that grows within plant tissues, but they are more precisely described in terms of their types (fungal and bacterial) and relationships (obligate or facultative with the host plant (Petrini, 1991; Cabral et al, 1993; Hallmann et al, 1997; Rosenblueth and Martínez-Romero, 2006). Endophytes play an imperative role to maintain the health of plants, as they can protect or prepare the plant against abiotic and biotic stresses and help in enhancing growth and yields (Tanaka et al, 2005; Vega et al, 2008; Lugtenberg et al, 2016; Lata et al, 2018). The present review focuses on the multidimensional interactions between endophytes and their plant hosts, in relation with maintaining the health of the plant.
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