Antifungal, Phytotoxic, and Cytotoxic Activities of Metabolites from Epichloë bromicola, a Fungus Obtained from Elymus tangutorum Grass

Abstract

The development of high-quality herbage is an important aspect of animal husbandry. Inoculating beneficial fungi onto inferior grass is a feasible strategy for producing new varieties of high-quality herbage. Epichloë bromicola is a candidate fungus that is isolated from Elymus tangutorum. A total of 17 metabolites, 1-17, were obtained from E. bromicola, and their biological activities were assayed. Metabolite 1 exhibited antifungal activities against Alternaria alternata, Fusarium avenaceum, Bipolaris sorokiniana, and Curvularia lunata. EC50 values ranged from 0.7 to 5.3 μM, which were better than the positive control, chlorothalonil. Metabolite 8 displayed obvious phytotoxic effects toward Lolium perenne and Poa crymophila seedlings, and it was as active as glyphosate. None of these isolated metabolites displayed cytotoxicity against Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells. The IC50 values were greater than 100 μM, and the metabolites increased the growth of the cells at a concentration of 12.5 μM. The bioassay indicated that E. bromicola may be a beneficial fungus for producing new varieties of herbage with various resistances. Additionally, metabolite 7, 3-(2'-(4″-hydroxyphenyl)acetoxy)-2S-methylpropanoic acid, is a new natural product, and its stereochemistry was determined by means of optical rotation computation and chemical reactions.

Recent advances in allelopathy for weed control: from knowledge to applications

“…Recently, four new thymol derivatives, from the roots of Mikania micrantha , were isolated by Xu et al These phenolic compounds contain hydroxyl groups in most of the methyl positions, and also had allelopathic effects on Arabidopsis thaliana seeds . Among the phenolics discovered, cinnamic ester derivatives are worth highlighting because of their phytotoxicity against standard target species (STS) such as lettuce . 2‐Hydroxyethyl caffeate, isolated from Oxalis pes‐caprae , was the most active cinnamic ester …”

Identification of ε-Poly-L-lysine as an Antimicrobial Product from an Epichloë Endophyte and Isolation of Fungal ε-PL Synthetase Gene

“…A cyclic peptide, epichlicin, produced by E. typhina inhibits the spore germination of Clasdosporium phlei [11]. Seventeen antifungal metabolites, including a new product, 3-(2 -(4"-hydroxyphenyl)acetoxy)-2S-methylpropanioc acid, were isolated from E. bromicola [12]. We previously identified E. festucae strain E437 as a producer of antifungal substance against several grass pathogens such as Drechslera erythrospila, Colletotrichum graminicola, and Bipolaris sorokiniana [13].…”

Identification and Quantification of a Phytotoxic Metabolite from Alternaria dauci

“…Reports on the production of 2 by fungi are limited, but it has been reportedly obtained from Alternaria spp [ 2 ], including A. tagetica [ 28 ]. Additional reports described its production in cultures of the phytopathogens Epichloë bromicola (infecting Elymus tangutorum ) [ 29 ] and Diaporthe gulyae (isolated from stem cankers of sunflower) [ 30 ]. The many biological activities reported for hydroxybenzoic acid ( 2 ) include phytotoxic activity against Rumex crispus [ 31 ] and as a growth inhibitor of Dactylis glomerate [ 32 ]; additionally, it has been reported to have antibacterial [ 15 ], antioxidant [ 33 ], antifungal [ 23 ], antialgal [ 34 ], antimutagenic [ 35 ], and estrogenic properties [ 36 ].…”