Biological Characterization of Fungal Endophytes Isolated from Agarwood Tree Aquilaria Crassna Pierre Ex Lecomte
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Tạp chí Công nghệ Sinh học 14(1): 149-156, 2016 BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF FUNGAL ENDOPHYTES ISOLATED FROM AGARWOOD TREE AQUILARIA CRASSNA PIERRE EX LECOMTE Hoang Kim Chi, Le Huu Cuong, Tran Thi Nhu Hang, Nguyen Dinh Luyen, Tran Thi Hong Ha, Le Mai Huong Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Received: 15.5.2015 Accepted: 30.12.2015 SUMMARY In recent years, a considerable number of studies on the role of microbes in agarwood production have been carried out in plants of the species Aquilaria. Based on the fact that there is a relationship between the microorganisms residing inside the plant and the agarwood formation, we isolated and characterized endophytic fungi associated with A. crassna samples collected from Southern Vietnam. Morphological identification and DNA barcoding analysis of the fungal endophytic isolates indicated that they were classified at least into three groups of diverse genera: Geotrichum, Fusarium and Colletotrichum belonging to families Dipodascaceae, Nectriaceae and Glomerellaceae, respectively. Noteworthy, Geotrichum candium strain SHTr1 isolated from a dark colored woody sample of agarwood was able to produce a fruity odor and exhibited a slight antimicrobial activity against the test bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. Another fungal isolate, Fusarium verticillioides SHTr3’s, showed a moderate antimicrobial activity against a test Gram positive bacteria Bacillus subtillis and S. aureus with MIC values at 50 µg.mL-1. At 200 µg.mL-1, the ethyl acetate extracts of fungal isolates F. verticillioides SHTr3 and Colletotrichum truncatum SHTrHc7 were found to have comparable scavenging abilities on DPPH-free radicals with 53.87 and 71.82%, respectively. The present results contribute to a depiction of a diverse fungal endophytic community in Vietnamese agarwood plant A. crassna and provide important information for further understanding of the role of endophytic fungi in agarwood formation and therapeutic applications of host plants in general. Keywords: Aquilaria crassna, endophytic fungi, Geotrichum candium, Fusarium verticillioides, Colletotrichum truncatum INTRODUCTION number and critically endangered (The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species <http://www.iucnredlist.org>). To date, a total Agarwood is the resinous and fragrant number of 19 species of Aquilaria have been listed heartwood that is derived from the wounded trees of in South East Asia region. Among them, A. crassna the genera Aquilaria and Gyrinops of the family is the most native to Vietnam where its distribution Thymelaeaceae (Myrtales) (Blanchette, 2006). is sparse but widespread (Naef, 2011). Rogers (2009) highlighted the most important plant species that biosynthesize agarwood, Aquilaria Various studies have been carried out in order to agollocha, A. malaccensis and A. crassna. These find out effective ways for enhancing agarwood plants were described as large evergreens that are formation in Aquilaria and Gyrinops plants that may found in the areas ranging from India and throughout help to minimize the exploitation of the plants Southeast Asia. Because of its historical use in worldwide. For example, artificial wound in the medicine, in fragrances as an aromatic oil, and also trunk of grown plants and biological treatments were in religious ceremonies, agarwood has become one tested to induce the agarwood formation. Tamuli et of the most valuable non-timber forest products with al. (2005) stated that essential oils of the eaglewood ranging prices in consumer countries by as much as tree A. agallocha Roxb. are products of pathogenesis 30,000 USD per kilogram for top quality wood with involvement of Aspergillus niger as a dominant (Hansen, 2000; Jayachandran et al., 2014). Because fungi in stem. Other pathogenic fungi found in the of the over-exploitation of agarwood in recent agarwood are Fusarium sp., Penicillium sp., and decades, the wild plants have been reduced in Trichoderma sp. (Tamuli et al., 2005). Jayachandran 149 Hoang Kim Chi et al. et al. (2014) compared the essential oil contents from All isolates were initially grouped based on different categories of infected plants of A. morphological characteristics like colony shape, malaccensis and found an apparent higher level of color of the aerial hyphae, growth rate in PDA aromadendrene 2 in the highly infected wood medium, and microscopic features of reproductive (24.76%) in comparison to the moderately infected structures. Representative strains of each (1.73%) and the less infected woods (1.58%). morphological group were then selected for Interestingly, the compound was totally absent in the molecular identification. wood oil of healthy plants (Jayachandran et al., 2014). DNA extraction, amplification of fungal ribosomal DNA, sequencing and sequence analysis Fungal endophytes, the group of special fungi were carried out for the molecular identification of which reside internally in plant tissues without fungal strains. The extraction of fungal DNA was causing any apparent effects, have become an carried out according to the manufacturer's protocols interest of study due to their ability in producing (DNeasy Plant Mini kit, Qiagen). For PCR novel active compounds (Strobel, Daisy, 2003; amplification, MasterCycler EP Gradient S cycler Porras-Alfaro, Bayman, 2011). The variation of (Eppendorf, Germany) was applied, using the fungal communities under different living conditions primers ITS1 (TCCGTAGGTGAACCTGCGG) and and host plant species, as well as host tissue types ITS4 (TCCTCCGCTTATTGATATGC) (White et have also been observed in previous studies (Mishra al., 1990). The PCR was started with an initial et al., 2012, Lamit et al., 2014). To date, denaturation at 95°C for 3 min, followed by 30 investigations in host plants belonging to Aquilaria cycles of denaturation at 95°C for 45 s, annealing at spp. in Vietnam have been limited. The present study 50°C for 35 s, and elongation at 72°C for 1.5 min, was undertaken to characterize endophytic fungi and final elongation took 10 min at 72°C. The isolated from samples of A. crassna Pierre ex sequencing of PCR products was performed on ABI Lecomte in Northern Vietnam, and additionally to 3100 Avant Genetic Analyzer (Applied Biosystems, investigate antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, USA). The sequences were then compared with of these fungal isolates. those available in GenBank via BLASTN searches (http://blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Blast.cgi) (Altschul et al., 1997). Software BioEdit v7.0.5.2 was used for MATERIALS AND METHODS sequence analyses (Hall, 1999). Isolation and culture of endophytic fungi Extraction of bioactive compounds from endophytic fungi for biological evaluation Endophytic fungi were isolated from fresh materials of agarwood plant samples – Aquilaria Endophytic strains were cultivated at 25°C for crassna Pierre ex Lecomte, collected from Nha 14 days in 150 mL of potato dextrose broth (PDB) Trang (Khanh Hoa province) situated in Southern with constant shaking (200 rpm) in an incubator Vietnam. Different parts of the samples, including shaker (IKA, Germany). The fermentation broth was fruits, leaves, and woody samples, especially inner extracted with an organic solvent (ethyl acetate, XL, parts of the woods which appeared in dark color, China) in a 500-ml Erlenmeyer flask by vigorous were exposed by knife disinfected with 70% ethanol, soaking at ambient temperature. Extractions were and followed by a surface sterilization according to repeated three times and combined. The crude Schluz et al. (1993). Segments (0.5 cm in size) from extracts obtained were then concentrated at reduced sterilized samples were placed in Petri dishes pressure in a rotary vacuum evaporator (EYELA, containing Potato dextrose agar (PDA, broth of Japan) (50°C at 40 rpm) and subsequently dissolved sliced potatoes 200 g.L-1, dextrose 20 g.L-1, agar 15 in dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) (Sigma Aldrich, g.L-1, pH 6) and chloramphenicol (50 µg.mL-1) (St- Germany) for biological assessments. Germain, Summerbell, 1996), incubated at 30°C and monitored every day to check the growth of fungal Antimicrobial activity assay hyphae from the segments. Fungal mycelia growing The prepared crude ethyl acetate extracts of from segments were then re-cultivated, purified and fungal endophytes were tested against 8 microbial transferred to fresh PDA slants and stored at 4°C. strains, namely Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 Identification of fungal endophytic isolates (Gram negative), Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 25923 (Gram negative), Bacillus subtillis ATCC 150 Tạp chí Công nghệ Sinh học 14(1): 149-156, 2016 11774 (Gram positive), Staphylococcus aureus Antioxidant assays subsp. aureus ATCC 11632 (Gram positive), The antioxidant potential of the fungal isolates Aspergillus niger 439 (filamentous fungi), was tested using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl Fusarium oxysporum M42 (filamentous fungi), (DPPH) free radical assays (Brand-Williams, 1995; Candida albicans ATCC 7754 (yeast) and Shela et al., 2003) in 96-well microtiter plates. Saccharomyces cerevisiae SH 20 (yeast). A Briefly, 10 µL extract solution at serial diluted modification of the broth dilution test method concentrations were added into a well containing 190 (Vlietinck, 1998; Langfied et al., 2004) in sterile µL of DPPH in ethanol (Sigma Aldrich, Germany). 96-well microplates was used to detect Reactions of the extract with DPPH took place at antimicrobial activity of selected fungal strains. 37oC for 30 min in the dark. The absorbance of Briefly, test samples with