Meise Botanic Garden, Meise, Belgium.
Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
PeerJ. 2023 Aug 4;11:e15778. doi: 10.7717/peerj.15778. eCollection 2023.
Leaf symbiosis is a phenomenon in which host plants of Rubiaceae interact with bacterial endophytes within their leaves. To date, it has been found in around 650 species belonging to eight genera in four tribes; however, the true extent in Rubiaceae remains unknown. Our aim is to investigate the possible occurrence of leaf endophytes in the African plant genera and and, if present, to establish their identity.
Total DNA was extracted from the leaves of four species of the Coffeeae tribe (, , and ) and sequenced. Bacterial reads were filtered out and assembled. Phylogenetic analysis of the endophytes was used to reveal their identity and their relationship with known symbionts.
All four species have non-nodulated leaf endophytes, which are identified as . The endophytes are distinct from each other but related to other nodulated and non-nodulated endophytes. An apparent phylogenetic or geographic pattern appears to be absent in endophytes or host plants. endophytes are present in the leaves of and , two genera not previously implicated in leaf symbiosis. This interaction is likely to be more widespread, and future discoveries are inevitable.
叶共生是一种现象，即在茜草科植物的宿主植物与其叶片内的细菌内生菌相互作用。迄今为止，已在四个族的八个属中约 650 种植物中发现了这种现象；然而，茜草科中真正的叶内生菌数量仍不清楚。我们的目的是调查非洲植物属 和 中可能存在的叶内生菌，如果存在，则确定其身份。
从咖啡族的四个种（ 、 、 和 ）的叶片中提取总 DNA 并进行测序。过滤掉细菌读段并进行组装。内生菌的系统发育分析用于揭示其身份及其与已知共生体的关系。
所有四个种都具有非结瘤叶内生菌，鉴定为 。内生菌彼此不同，但与其他结瘤和非结瘤内生菌有关。内生菌或宿主植物似乎不存在明显的系统发育或地理模式。内生菌存在于 和 的叶片中，这两个属以前没有涉及到叶共生关系。这种相互作用可能更为广泛，未来的发现是不可避免的。
