Department of Planning and Research, National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, 94450, Pingtung, Taiwan.
Graduate Institute of Marine Biology, National Dong Hwa University, 94450, Pingtung, Taiwan.
Folia Microbiol (Praha). 2021 Jun;66(3):385-397. doi: 10.1007/s12223-021-00854-4. Epub 2021 Feb 5.
Fungal endophytes have been found to exist in many plant species and appear to be important to their plant hosts. However, the diversity and biological activities of these fungi remain largely unknown. Zanthoxylum simulans Hance, a popular natural spice and medicinal plant, commonly known as Szechuan pepper or Chinese-pepper, grows on Kinmen Island, Taiwan. In this study, leaf and stem samples of Z. simulans, collected in summer and winter, were screened for antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory metabolite-producing endophytic fungi. A total of 113 endophytic strains were isolated and cultured from Z. simulans, among which 23 were found to possess antimicrobial activity, belonging to six fungal genera: Penicillium (26.09%, 6), Colletotrichum (21.74%, 5), Diaporthe (21.74%, 5), Daldinia (17.39%, 4), Alternaria (8.70%, 2), and Didymella (4.34%, 1). We also found that the number of species with antimicrobial activity and their compositions differed between summer and winter. Our study demonstrated that Z. simulans might contain large and diverse communities of endophytic fungi, and its community composition varies seasonally. In addition, fungal endophytes produce antimicrobial agents, which may protect their hosts against pathogens and could be a potential source of natural antibiotics.
真菌内生菌存在于许多植物物种中，似乎对其植物宿主很重要。然而，这些真菌的多样性和生物活性在很大程度上仍然未知。花椒（Zanthoxylum simulans Hance）是一种受欢迎的天然香料和药用植物，俗称花椒或中国胡椒，生长在台湾金门岛。在这项研究中，从夏季和冬季采集的花椒叶和茎样本中筛选出具有抗微生物和抗炎代谢产物的内生真菌。从 Z. simulans 中总共分离和培养了 113 株内生菌株，其中 23 株具有抗微生物活性，属于六个真菌属：青霉属（26.09%，6 株）、炭疽菌属（21.74%，5 株）、围小丛壳属（21.74%，5 株）、炭棒菌属（17.39%，4 株）、链格孢属（8.70%，2 株）和拟茎点霉属（4.34%，1 株）。我们还发现，具有抗微生物活性的物种数量及其组成在夏季和冬季之间存在差异。我们的研究表明，Z. simulans 可能含有大量多样的内生真菌群落，其群落组成随季节而变化。此外，真菌内生菌产生的抗菌剂可能可以保护其宿主免受病原体的侵害，并且可能是天然抗生素的潜在来源。
