Macroalgal Endophytes from the Atlantic Coast of Canada: A Potential Source of Antibiotic Natural Products?
As the need for new and more effective antibiotics increases, untapped sources of biodiversity are being explored in an effort to provide lead structures for drug discovery. Endophytic fungi from marine macroalgae have been identified as a potential source of biologically active natural products, al...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2013-12-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/1/1/175 |
| _version_ | 1828331430489358336 |
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| author | Andrew J. Flewelling Katelyn T. Ellsworth Joseph Sanford Erica Forward John A. Johnson Christopher A. Gray |
| author_facet | Andrew J. Flewelling Katelyn T. Ellsworth Joseph Sanford Erica Forward John A. Johnson Christopher A. Gray |
| author_sort | Andrew J. Flewelling |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As the need for new and more effective antibiotics increases, untapped sources of biodiversity are being explored in an effort to provide lead structures for drug discovery. Endophytic fungi from marine macroalgae have been identified as a potential source of biologically active natural products, although data to support this is limited. To assess the antibiotic potential of temperate macroalgal endophytes we isolated endophytic fungi from algae collected in the Bay of Fundy, Canada and screened fungal extracts for the presence of antimicrobial compounds. A total of 79 endophytes were isolated from 7 species of red, 4 species of brown, and 3 species of green algae. Twenty of the endophytes were identified to the genus or species level, with the remaining isolates designated codes according to their morphology. Bioactivity screening assays performed on extracts of the fermentation broths and mycelia of the isolates revealed that 43 endophytes exhibited antibacterial activity, with 32 displaying antifungal activity. Endophytic fungi from Bay of Fundy macroalgae therefore represent a significant source of antibiotic natural products and warrant further detailed investigation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T20:52:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5ad07eafb3014a83ac09bcc3b1144939 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T20:52:35Z |
| publishDate | 2013-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-5ad07eafb3014a83ac09bcc3b11449392022-12-22T02:30:26ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072013-12-011117518710.3390/microorganisms1010175microorganisms1010175Macroalgal Endophytes from the Atlantic Coast of Canada: A Potential Source of Antibiotic Natural Products?Andrew J. Flewelling0Katelyn T. Ellsworth1Joseph Sanford2Erica Forward3John A. Johnson4Christopher A. Gray5Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, 100 Tucker Park Road, Saint John, NB E2L 4L5, CanadaDepartment of Biology, University of New Brunswick, 100 Tucker Park Road, Saint John, NB E2L 4L5, CanadaDepartment of Biology, University of New Brunswick, 100 Tucker Park Road, Saint John, NB E2L 4L5, CanadaDepartment of Biology, University of New Brunswick, 100 Tucker Park Road, Saint John, NB E2L 4L5, CanadaDepartment of Biology, University of New Brunswick, 100 Tucker Park Road, Saint John, NB E2L 4L5, CanadaDepartment of Biology, University of New Brunswick, 100 Tucker Park Road, Saint John, NB E2L 4L5, CanadaAs the need for new and more effective antibiotics increases, untapped sources of biodiversity are being explored in an effort to provide lead structures for drug discovery. Endophytic fungi from marine macroalgae have been identified as a potential source of biologically active natural products, although data to support this is limited. To assess the antibiotic potential of temperate macroalgal endophytes we isolated endophytic fungi from algae collected in the Bay of Fundy, Canada and screened fungal extracts for the presence of antimicrobial compounds. A total of 79 endophytes were isolated from 7 species of red, 4 species of brown, and 3 species of green algae. Twenty of the endophytes were identified to the genus or species level, with the remaining isolates designated codes according to their morphology. Bioactivity screening assays performed on extracts of the fermentation broths and mycelia of the isolates revealed that 43 endophytes exhibited antibacterial activity, with 32 displaying antifungal activity. Endophytic fungi from Bay of Fundy macroalgae therefore represent a significant source of antibiotic natural products and warrant further detailed investigation.http://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/1/1/175marine macroalgaeendophyteantibacterialantifungal |
| spellingShingle | Andrew J. Flewelling Katelyn T. Ellsworth Joseph Sanford Erica Forward John A. Johnson Christopher A. Gray Macroalgal Endophytes from the Atlantic Coast of Canada: A Potential Source of Antibiotic Natural Products? Microorganisms marine macroalgae endophyte antibacterial antifungal |
| title | Macroalgal Endophytes from the Atlantic Coast of Canada: A Potential Source of Antibiotic Natural Products? |
| title_full | Macroalgal Endophytes from the Atlantic Coast of Canada: A Potential Source of Antibiotic Natural Products? |
| title_fullStr | Macroalgal Endophytes from the Atlantic Coast of Canada: A Potential Source of Antibiotic Natural Products? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Macroalgal Endophytes from the Atlantic Coast of Canada: A Potential Source of Antibiotic Natural Products? |
| title_short | Macroalgal Endophytes from the Atlantic Coast of Canada: A Potential Source of Antibiotic Natural Products? |
| title_sort | macroalgal endophytes from the atlantic coast of canada a potential source of antibiotic natural products |
| topic | marine macroalgae endophyte antibacterial antifungal |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/1/1/175 |
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