Biodiversity and Bioprospecting of Fungal Endophytes from the Antarctic Plant Colobanthus quitensis

Abstract

Microorganisms from extreme environments are considered as a new and valuable reservoir of bioactive molecules of biotechnological interest and are also utilized as tools for enhancing tolerance to (a)biotic stresses in crops. In this study, the fungal endophytic community associated with the leaves of the Antarctic angiosperm Colobanthus quitensis was investigated as a new source of bioactive molecules. We isolated 132 fungal strains and taxonomically annotated 26 representative isolates, which mainly belonged to the Basidiomycota division. Selected isolates of Trametes sp., Lenzites sp., Sistotrema sp., and Peniophora sp. displayed broad extracellular enzymatic profiles; fungal extracts from some of them showed dose-dependent antitumor activity and inhibited the formation of amyloid fibrils of α-synuclein and its pathological mutant E46K. Selected fungal isolates were also able to promote secondary root development and fresh weight increase in Arabidopsis and tomato and antagonize the growth of pathogenic fungi harmful to crops. This study emphasizes the ecological and biotechnological relevance of fungi from the Antarctic ecosystem and provides clues to the bioprospecting of Antarctic Basidiomycetes fungi for industrial, agricultural, and medical applications.

Simulated global warming affects endophytic bacterial and fungal communities of Antarctic pearlwort leaves and some bacterial isolates support plant growth at low temperatures

“…and Trametes sp.) obtained from C. quitensis plants can display broad extracellular enzymatic profiles, promote secondary root development, and increase fresh weight in Arabidopsis and tomato seedlings with inhibitory activities against phytopathogenic fungi 38 , corroborating the beneficial effects of C. quitensis endophytes. It has been reported that plant growth of C. quitensis can be promoted by Antarctic rhizobacteria (e.g., Enterobacter sp.)…”

“…Ascomycota and Basidiomycota are known to be the most abundant phyla of culturable fungi isolated from C. quitensis samples under Antarctic conditions, such as Alternaria sp., Leucosporidium sp., Microdochium sp., Penicillium sp., and Vishniacozyma sp. 5 , 18 – 20 , 38 .…”

Antioxidant Hydrogels: Antioxidant Mechanisms, Design Strategies, and Applications in the Treatment of Oxidative Stress‐Related Diseases

“…[8,9] Consequently, efficiently scavenging excessive ROS and RNS within organisms can effectively alleviate oxidative stress, thereby preventing the occurrence of various diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancers. [10] For decades, consuming foods and supplements that can efficiently scavenge excess ROS or RNS from the body has been acknowledged as a significant strategy to prevent numerous diseases. [11,12] For instance, the application of topically administered small molecule antioxidants such as sodium sulfite and potassium sulfite can diminish the excessive production of detrimental ROS within the body.…”

“…[ 8,9 ] Consequently, efficiently scavenging excessive ROS and RNS within organisms can effectively alleviate oxidative stress, thereby preventing the occurrence of various diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancers. [ 10 ]…”

Extreme environments as sources of fungal endophytes mitigating climate change impacts on crops in Mediterranean‐type ecosystems

“…For example, those from coastal and geothermal settings confer tolerance to salt and heat, respectively, a phenomenon termed ‘habitat‐adapted symbiosis’ ( sensu ; Rodriguez et al, 2008), which is thought to arise from the activation of distinct metabolic pathways under specific selective pressures (Ballesteros et al, 2020; Rodriguez et al, 2008). Crop performance in MTEs might therefore be enhanced by endophytes from arid and saline soils, such as those in desert, montane and Antarctic environments (Bertini et al, 2022; Poveda et al, 2022). Although these underexplored environments are largely untapped because of their geographic isolation and inhospitable conditions, they are considered to be rich sources of endophytes (Saikkonen et al, 2004) that might synthesise a plethora of natural products capable of enhancing host stress tolerance (Tiwari & Bae, 2022).…”