An Endophytic Phomopsis sp. Possessing Bioactivity and Fuel Potential with its Volatile Organic Compounds

• Published in: Microbial ecology Vol. 61; no. 4; pp. 729 - 739
• Main Authors: Singh, Sanjay K., Strobel, Gary A., Knighton, Berk, Geary, Brad, Sears, Joe, Ezra, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer Science + Business Media 01.05.2011; Springer-Verlag; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Antifungal Agents - metabolism; Antifungal Agents - pharmacology; Ascomycota - classification; Ascomycota - genetics; Ascomycota - isolation & purification; Ascomycota - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Botrytis; Cloud forests; Colletotrichum; Ecology; Endophytes; Endosymbionts; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fungi; Fungi - drug effects; Geoecology/Natural Processes; HOST MICROBE INTERACTIONS; Inhibitory concentration 50; Life Sciences; Mass spectrometry; Microbial Ecology; Microbiology; Molecular Sequence Data; Nature Conservation; Orchidaceae; Orchidaceae - microbiology; Organic compounds; Pathogens; Peptones; Phomopsis; Phylogeny; Phytophthora; Plant Diseases - microbiology; Plants; Polymerase chain reaction; Pythium; Rhizoctonia; Salts; Sclerotinia; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; Volatile Organic Compounds - metabolism; Volatile Organic Compounds - pharmacology; Water Quality/Water Pollution; Yeast extract; Ecuador; Potato Dextrose Agar; VOCs; Monoterpene; Endophytic Fungus; Sabinene; Fungi; Fuel; Phomopsis; Endophyte; Volatile organic compound; Ecology; Fungi Imperfecti
• ISSN: 0095-3628; 1432-184X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00248-011-9818-7

An unusual Phomopsis sp. was isolated as endophyte of Odontoglossum sp. (Orchidaceae), associated with a cloud forest in Northern Ecuador. This fungus produces a unique mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including sabinene (a monoterpene with a peppery odor) only previously known from higher plants. In addition, some of the other more abundant VOCs recorded by GC/MS in this organism were 1-butanol, 3-methyl; benzeneethanol; 1-propanol, 2-methyl and 2-propanone. The gases of Phomopsis sp. possess antifungal properties and an artificial mixture of the VOCs mimicked the antibiotic effects of this organism with the greatest bioactivity against a wide range of plant pathogenic test fungi including: Pythium, Phytophthora, Sclerotinia, Rhizoctonia, Fusarium, Botrytis, Verticillium, and Colletotrichum. The IC₄₀ values for the artificial gas mixture of Phomopsis sp. varied between 8 and 25.65 μl/mL. Proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry monitored the concentration of VOCs emitted by Phomopsis sp. and yielded a total VOC concentration of ca. 18 ppmv in the head space at the seventh day of incubation at 23°C on PDA. As with many VOC-producing endophytes, this Phomopsis sp. did survive and grow in the presence of the inhibitory gases of Muscodor albus. A discussion is presented on the possible involvement of VOC production by the fungus and its role in the biology/ecology of the fungus/plant/environmental relationship.