Bioactive endophytes warrant intensified exploration and conservation.

ABSTRACT:

Background

A key argument in favor of conserving biodiversity is that as yet undiscovered biodiversity will yield products of great use to humans. However, the link between undiscovered biodiversity and useful products is largely conjectural. Here we provide direct evidence from bioassays of endophytes isolated from tropical plants and bioinformatic analyses that novel biology will indeed yield novel chemistry of potential value.

Methodology/principal findings

We isolated and cultured 135 endophytic fungi and bacteria from plants collected in Peru. nrDNAs were compared to samples deposited in GenBank to ascertain the genetic novelty of cultured specimens. Ten endophytes were found to be as much as 15-30% different than any sequence in GenBank. Phylogenetic trees, using the m

SUBMITTER: Smith SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2518837 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature