Exploration and profiling of hidden endophytic mycota of marine macroalgae with potential drug leads

Abstract

Diversity studies of endophytic assemblages are emerging challenges, which unveil novel phenotypes producing interesting chemical entities and a better understanding of their ecological significance. In the present investigation, we selected an extremely complex and unique environment supporting unexplored endophytes, ‘Macroalgae of Kerala coast, India’. Unlike terrestrial flora and mangroves, reports displaying endophytic assemblages of marine flora remain limited, especially from India. The main goal of this study was to expose hidden endophytic fungi from macroalgae and examination of their bioactive potential. An ecological investigation of four red, four green and three brown algae resulted in 133 fungal taxa with 29 distinct morphospecies. Aspergillus and Penicillium were found to be the dominant genera. Penicillium chrysogenum was the sole fungi that contributed 11% of the entire endophytic community. Antimicrobial activity against various aquaculture/human pathogens revealed that around 59% of endophytes inhibited at least one of the pathogens screened. The maximum number of isolates (37%) inhibited Escherichia coli tailed by Aspergillus fumigatus (27%). Antimicrobial profile of fungal endophytes endorses them as a potential source of bioactive molecules that can be explored to find a solution for drug resistance in microbial pathogens.

Culturable Fungal Community of Pterocladiella capillacea in Keelung, Taiwan: Effects of Surface Sterilization Method and Isolation Medium

“…Species of Aspergillus and Penicillium were among the most common taxa in the marine environment [ 55 , 57 , 58 ]; they are common endosymbionts of different seaweeds [ 12 , 22 , 59 , 60 ] and seagrasses [ 61 ]. Aspergillus spp., apart from dominating the endosymbiont assemblage of seaweeds [ 23 ], also dominated the fungal assemblages of marine invertebrates [ 32 , 62 , 63 ].…”

“…isolated from red algae in maritime Antarctica displayed carrageenolytic and agarolytic activities, suggesting that they play a role in recycling carbon when the algae die [ 65 ]. Both Aspergillus and Penicillium species are known to produce antimicrobial secondary metabolites [ 32 , 60 ] and, thus, may protect macroalgae from microbial infection. In a study of the mycobiota of the red alga Asparagopsis taxiformis , two out of the five species isolated belonged to Cladosporium [ 66 ].…”

Oxic and Anoxic Organic Polymer Degradation Potential of Endophytic Fungi From the Marine Macroalga, Ecklonia radiata

“…Here we cultivated five isolates ( Penicillium sp., Aspergillus sp., and Cladosporium sp. ; Supplementary Table 2 ), which are frequently isolated endophytes ( Rashmi, 2019 ), from various macroalgae ( Zuccaro et al, 2003 , 2008 ; Suryanarayanan et al, 2010 ; Flewelling et al, 2013b ; Sarasan et al, 2020 ). Endophytic fungi from E. radiata were cosmopolitan, found in other hosts or different environments ( Table 1 ).…”

Re-introduction of a bioactive bacterial endophyte back to its seaweed (Ulva sp.) host, influences the host’s microbiome

“…Research on endophytes has typically focused on those in terrestrial plants (Liarzi and Ezra, 2014), with less attention to aquatic plants, and algae in particular, despite their having been shown to harbor endophytes. The study of algal endophytes may open new prospects for future use of endophytes in various biotechnological applications (Sarasan et al, 2020). The use of algal endophytes as biological control agents and as a source for secondary metabolites could provide potential benefits in the aquaculture industry.…”